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Most Popular Legal Definitions

corporal punishment

a punishment for some violation of conduct which involves the infliction of pain on, or harm to the body

bar

1)  collectively all attorneys, as "the bar," which comes from the bar or railing which separates the general spectator area of the courtroom from the area reserved for judges, attorneys, parties and court officials 2) to prevent some legal maneuver, as in "barring" a lawsuit due to the running out of the time to file 3) to prohibit and keep someone from entering a room, building or real property

per stirpes

Latin for "by branch," used to indicate the system by which children inherit a descendant's will when their parent has since deceased; an entitlement to participate in the distribution of property, such as an estate, that flows down to the named beneficiary's next heir if they are otherwise unable to take their share.


bait and switch

a dishonest sales practice in which a business advertises a bargain price for an item in order to draw customers into the store and then tells the prospective buyer that the advertised item is of poor quality or no longer available and attempts to switch the customer to a more expensive product

nemo debet locupletari ex aliena jactura

 Latin, no one should be enriched by another's loss.

adultery

consensual sexual relations when one of the participants is legally married to another; still a crime in some states and in many states it is grounds for divorce for the spouse of the adulterer

act of God

unpreventable natural catastrophe, such as; an earthquake, tidal wave, volcanic eruption, hurricane, or tornado; an act of God is determined on two grounds: 1) the extent of damage and chaos they wreak 2) the impingement on established contracts, which often state that "acts of God" are admissible excuses for delay or failure to fulfill a commitment; many insurance policies exempt coverage for damage caused by acts of God.

intimidate

to intentionally cause another to fear harm by some type of verbal or physical means

auditor

accountant who conducts an audit to verify the accuracy of the financial records and accounting practices of a business or government

magna carta

Charter to which subscribed King John of England on June 12, 1215 in which a basic set of limits were set on he King's powers.