Questions tagged [legal-terms]

Use this when questioning the meaning of legal terms.

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Why is a divisional court called a divisional court?

A court sitting with more than one judge is a divisional court. I am having difficulty seeing the relevance of the term to its definition.
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Is there a term describing an arrest made for an alternative motivation? [migrated]

Suppose Bob is a news reporter who honestly reports bad things about the police chief. The police chief doesn't like it, and he wants to arrest Bob for it, but he knows he can't legally do so because ...
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Why does "object" mean "the persons who may benefit from property on the exercise of a distributive power, or discretionary trust"?

I know that legal persons can be natural/physical, or juridical/fictitious. But even fictitious persons are animate, or are run by humans! Hence, this word choice of OBJECTS feels weird, because "...
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What is the difference between the respective doctrines of de minimis and frivolous claims

Some claims are dismissed as de minimis while others are said to be frivolous. Are these two notions completely synonymous? If not then what’s the difference between them?
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How is untouchability defined in Indian law?

Article 17 of India's Constitution makes it mandatory to abolish all forms of untouchability but what does untouchability mean? There's also the protection of Civil Rights Act 1955, India that makes ...
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Difference between "illegal" and "unconstitutional"

For a layman, what is the difference between illegal and unconstitutional? These two words have been abused in several debates and political forums in the last two decades that they have been used ...
Suddhasattwa Ghosh 's user avatar
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2 answers
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Is the term "commercial purposes" defined in Indian law?

For example in various laws related purchase of machinery and consumer rights , Intelectual property / patent or in extreme cases pornography or the term "for commercial purpose" is used. ...
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What is the legal doctine of mootness? [duplicate]

Coming on the heels of this question: Is there some legal doctrine that prevents a judge from entering a judgement for possession in circumstances where a tenant vacated the premises prior to trial, ...
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Can a computer program agree to Terms of Service?

Most service providers have Terms of Service that people or entities need to agree to before legally using their services. On another question I had, arguments were made that you needed to be a person ...
Digital fire's user avatar
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what does "force" and "criminal force" apply to in Indian Penal Code?

how is "force" interpreted in section 349 Indian Penal Code? Force.—A person is said to use force to another if he causes motion, change of motion, or cessation of motion to that other, or ...
swarahan's user avatar
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What is the difference between the terms defendant and Respondent?

It seems that there is perhaps a trend toward less adversarial terminology, so I wonder if it is that defendant was a more traditional term used exclusively historically, while Respondent has now ...
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What is the “prayer” in a claim?

A blog refers to certain things not having been pleaded/specified in the “prayer”. What does this refer to?
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3 answers
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Why is it called Civil Law? What's "civil" about it?

Why is a civil legal system referred to as a system of “civil” law? In what sense is it “civil”? Does the name derive from origins in or association with the civil code or code civil? In this case, ...
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1 answer
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How is transient occupancy determined in Colorado?

Colorado Revised Statutes § 38-12-511 (2020), "(d) Transient occupancy in a hotel or motel that lasts less than thirty days;" In Colorado how is transient occupancy determined? If a hotel ...
Nastacio Cabral-Tafoya's user avatar
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2 answers
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Does "OK" imply "Yes", in the eyes of the law in general?

Is "OK" legally binding as a "Yes"? In some situations, I have been asked questions, and I said "ok", but they just repeat their question one more time. So I think "...
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What is denoted by “operation of law”?

I had only previously encountered the phrase as in “surrender by operation of law” until just now I read the latter portion of the phrase used independently by user @ohwilleke in another answer. What ...
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What are the correct parameters of usage for addressing parties as one’s “learned friend”?

Does a solicitor with right of audience address their opposing barrister as their learned friend? Do they get addressed as the barrister’s learned friend? What of a litigant in person? And in all ...
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2 answers
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"Be to verb" in contract

This is a provision in CONTRACT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL SALE OF GOODS Effects of avoidance in general 12.1 Avoidance of this contract releases both parties from their obligation to effect ...
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resolution vs settlement

This is a provision in CONTRACT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL SALE OF GOODS Effects of avoidance in general 12.1 Avoidance of this contract releases both parties from their obligation to effect ...
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2 answers
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What is the purpose of a Corporation Sole?

Why must an organisation represent the idea of an individual, rather than the organisation acting in its own capacity while the individual simply sits as its head? In other words, why do case workers ...
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1 answer
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Why did the contract writer use both provision and term?

This is a provision in CONTRACT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL SALE OF GOODS Effects of avoidance in general 12.1 Avoidance of this contract releases both parties from their obligation to effect ...
Hai Duong's user avatar
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3 answers
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What’s the difference between a trial court and a court of first instance?

In a recent discussion thread one was defined as apparently rather nearly the same thing as the other prompting me to ask what is the difference between them.
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1 answer
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What is "probity"?

I have found a number of definitions but none are satisfyingly congruent with the usages that I have seen in legal contexts including several times on here, which generally use it to describe a ...
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-1 votes
2 answers
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What is a “submission”?

It was used in a recent answer to mean “a legal argument”. Is it necessarily of this nature? Or is it broader (i.e. “anything one submits”)?
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Does there exist a rental law?

I have just rented an AirBnB apartment, where there were a broken door, that the renter hadn't informed about and also that there were some rare and hard to replace items in the apartment, that I am ...
Sandra Schlichting's user avatar
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2 answers
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What does endorse mean?

According to Oxford Languages, sign (a check or bill of exchange) on the back to make it payable to someone other than the stated payee or to accept responsibility for paying it. I'm having trouble ...
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1 answer
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What is "the Court"?

In legal proceedings there seems to be a nebulous entity often referred to as "the Court". What does this device/construct denote and what is its purpose? Is it basicallyy like an avatar ...
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1 answer
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Is the character of a “request” legally defined?

In general English usage the notion of a request seems to connote that compliance with it is discretionary and not required. But in legal usage and correspondence it seems to perhaps assume a ...
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1 answer
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What are the differences between petitions, complaints, and indictments?

These seem to be ways of bringing actions to a court. How do they differ and compare?
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1 answer
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What is the definition of a trial?

Does it refer to a series of final hearings in a case that will have followed any other preliminary hearings on subsidiary issues?
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What does it mean for a hearing that has been listed to be “vacated”?

Does it more strongly suggest that it will have been dispensed with finally, or that it will be rescheduled/relisted for another date?
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2 votes
1 answer
43 views

What is the scope of Indian Penal Code section 354?

The Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 354 criminalises criminal force or assault with the intent to outrage a woman's modesty. What does this cover? Is this broad? And does it apply equally in all ...
rahulgupta's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
91 views

What does "necessary" mean with regards GDPR and cookie consent

The GDPR makes use of the word "necessary". For example article 6. Lawfulness of processing 1. (f) says "processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by ...
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Is there a difference between seizing and impounding items?

You hear both terms used to refer to broadly the same action.
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3 votes
1 answer
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What's the difference between a body corporate and a corporation sole?

One of those instances where unfortunately there's not much to expand in this question apart from what's in the title.
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5 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is "distress," as in "distress for rent"?

There have been several distress for rent acts in the 17th and 18th centuries, which provide a right for distress. What is the nature of this right and the origin of its name?
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1 answer
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What is/was a court of "judicature," and how is it named?

Supreme court of judicature etc. I feel like it may even still be a thing in Scotland, but you see it in older EWCA decisions. What does the word mean and what does it note to qualify a court's name ...
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1 answer
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In a contract what is the clearest way to state which country's currency is being used? Why is there so much variation to these terms?

I noticed in written contracts there are various ways to state which currency is to be used for money. What is the difference between 'legal tender' and 'lawful money'? Is it more clear just to say '...
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2 votes
2 answers
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Why is the term forfeiture used to describe the landlord's act of "taking back" a property?

Forfeit generally denies relinquishment or loss, and yet it is the term used to describe the landlord's role in the dance as they resume possession of a place. What is behind this?
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10 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why is a lawsuit a "suit"?

Where does the term "law suit" for a legal case come from? It seems to perhaps only be used to refer to civil cases, however. Also, is it a purely American (USA) term or does it also find ...
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2 votes
1 answer
73 views

How is sexual intent proven or disproven in Indian criminal law?

The Indian Penal Code states that physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures is guilty of sexual harassment. Pikewise, POCSO act sections 7 and 11 state Whoever,...
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0 votes
1 answer
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Why do adjectives sometimes follow nouns in legal phrases?

For example, consider the phrase "bodies corporate." Would the more natural English construction not simply be "corporate bodies"? Why is the former form so often used?
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-1 votes
1 answer
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Legal "we": when is it appropriate to use "we" in legal correspondence?

Similarly to how a party's representative is often referred to in the third person as "solicitors," it seems often that in legal submissions and other correspondence, individual solicitors ...
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0 answers
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how is "force" in Indian law interpreted based on section 349 of the Indian penal code?

Indian penal code defines "force" as A person is said to use force to another if he causes motion, change of motion, or cessation of motion to that other, or if he causes to any substance ...
IndianLawApplicant's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
41 views

What is the basis for the convention of referring to representative solicitors in the plural?

Often a party’s representative seems to be referred to in formal legal contexts as their “solicitors”, even when it appears to be a single individual who is managing the case on the party’s behalf. ...
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2 votes
2 answers
338 views

What does the phrase "in this act unless context requires otherwise" mean?

Various Commonwealth countries, like Malaysia, Singapore and India, use this phrase in sections which include definitions or explanation of a law. What does it mean? E.g., Article 13 of the Indian ...
account26633's user avatar
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0 answers
38 views

What's the difference between compensation and redress?

I read on https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/wrongly-accused-pole-gets-eur-286-mln-in-return-for-18-years-in-jail-19684: Komenda will receive PLN 811,533 (EUR 181,000) as compensation and PLN 12 ...
Franck Dernoncourt's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
5k views

Which security is the social security number about?

Everywhere online this seems to be a given, no source even attempts to explain it: If the social security number is about identifying an individual/citizen/taxpayer, why is it not called social ...
csstudent1418's user avatar
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2 answers
82 views

Why does the term "counsel" typically refer to barristers rather than solicitors?

It seems arbitrary that it seems to conventionally refer to one rather than the other, but is actually even more confusing that it refers to barristers rather than solicitors when one typically seeks ...
Seeking answers's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
206 views

What actually is a “Modern Day Slavery Policy”?

On many businesses’ websites there is an unobtrusive link to a so-called modern day slavery policy. What is this, and what provisions does it fulfill or get governed by?
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