Legal Dictionary

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Terms

Canon Law: The law of the Church; based on religious beliefs.
Expanded Legal Definition of Canon Law
Capital Punishment: The most severe of all sentences: that of death.
Expanded Legal Definition of Capital Punishment
Case Law: The entire collection of published legal decisions of the courts which, because of stare decisis, contributes a large part of the legal rules which apply in modern society.
Expanded Legal Definition of Case Law
Caveat: Latin: let him beware. A formal warning.
Expanded Legal Definition of Caveat
Certiorari: A formal request to a court challenging a legal decision of an administrative tribunal, judicial office or organization (eg. government) alleging that the decision has been irregular or incomplete or if there has been an error of law.
Expanded Legal Definition of Certiorari
Cestui Que Trust or Cestui Que Use: Latin: the beneficiary of a trust.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cestui Que Trust or Cestui Que Use
Ceteris Paribus: Latin: all things being equal or unchanged.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ceteris Paribus
Champerty: When a person agrees to finance someone else's lawsuit in exchange for a portion of the judicial award.
Expanded Legal Definition of Champerty
Chaste: A person who has never voluntarily had sexual intercourse outside of marriage such as unmarried virgins.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chaste
Chattel: Moveable items of property which are neither land nor permanently attached to land or a building, either directly or vicariously through attachment to real property.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chattel
Chattel Mortgage: When an interest is given on moveable property other than real property (in which case it is usually a 'mortgage'), in writing, to guarantee the payment of a debt or the execution of some action.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chattel Mortgage
Check or Cheque: A form of bill of exchange where the order to pay is given to a bank which is holding the payor’s money.
Expanded Legal Definition of Check or Cheque
Chose In Action: A property right in something intangible, or which is not in one's possession, but enforceable through legal or court action.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chose In Action
Circumstantial Evidence: Evidence which may allow a judge or jury to deduce a certain fact from other facts which have been proven.
Expanded Legal Definition of Circumstantial Evidence
Citation: An order of a court to either do a certain thing or to appear before it to answer charges.
Expanded Legal Definition of Citation
Civil Law: A body of law derived and evolved directly from Roman Law, the primary feature of which is that laws are struck in writing; codified, and not determined, as is common law, by the opinions of judges based on historic customs.
Expanded Legal Definition of Civil Law
Clandestine: Something purposely kept from the view or knowledge of others either in violation of the law or to conduct or conceal some illegal purpose.
Expanded Legal Definition of Clandestine
Class Action: When different persons combine their lawsuits into one opposed to a common defendant, because the facts are sufficiently similar.
Expanded Legal Definition of Class Action
Clayton's Case: An English case which established a presumption that monies withdrawn from a money account are presumed to be debits from those monies first deposited; first in, first out.
Expanded Legal Definition of Clayton's Case
Clean Hands: A maxim of the law to the effect that any person, individual or corporate, that wishes to ask or petition a court for judicial action, must be in a position free of fraud or other unfair conduct.
Expanded Legal Definition of Clean Hands
Client-Solicitor Privilege: A right that belongs to the client of a lawyer that the latter keep any information or words spoken to him during the provision of the legal services to that client, strictly confidential.
Expanded Legal Definition of Client-Solicitor Privilege
Codicil: An amendment to an existing will. Does not mean that the will is totally changed; just to the extent of the codicil.
Expanded Legal Definition of Codicil
Collateral: Property which has been committed to guarantee a loan.
Expanded Legal Definition of Collateral
Collateral Descendant: A descendant that is not direct, such as a niece or a cousin.
Expanded Legal Definition of Collateral Descendant
Collateral Source Rule: A rule of tort law which holds that the tortfeasor is not allowed to deduct from the amount he or she would be held to pay to the victim of the tort, any goods, services or money received by that victim from other 'collateral' sources as a result of the tort (eg. insurance benefits).
Expanded Legal Definition of Collateral Source Rule
Collusion: A secret agreement between two or more persons, who seem to have conflicting interests, to abuse the law or the legal system, deceive a court or to defraud a third party.
Expanded Legal Definition of Collusion
Commission: A formal group of experts brought together on a regular or ad hoc basis to debate matters within that sphere of expertise, and with regulatory or quasi-judicial powers such as the ability to license activity in the sphere of activity or to subpoena witnesses.
Expanded Legal Definition of Commission
Committee: A term of parliamentary law which refers to a body of one or more persons appointed by a larger assembly or society, to consider, investigate and/or take action on certain specific matters.
Expanded Legal Definition of Committee
Common Law: Judge-declared law. Law which exists and applies to a group on the basis of customs and legal precedents developed over hundreds of years in Britain.
Expanded Legal Definition of Common Law
Common Share: The basic share in a corporation.
Expanded Legal Definition of Common Share
Company: A legal entity, allowed by legislation, which permits a group of people, as shareholders, to apply to the government for an independent organization to be created, which can then focus on pursuing set objectives, and empowered with legal rights which are usually only reserved for individuals, such as to sue and be sued, own property, hire employees or loan and borrow money.
Expanded Legal Definition of Company
Comparative Negligence: An tort law analysis which considers the negligence of the victim and which may lead to a reduction of the award against the defendant, proportionate to the contribution of the victim’s negligence.
Expanded Legal Definition of Comparative Negligence
Condition Precedent: A contractual condition that suspends the coming into effect of a contract unless or until a certain event takes place.
Expanded Legal Definition of Condition Precedent
Condonation: Obvious or implied forgiveness.
Expanded Legal Definition of Condonation
Consensus: A decision achieved through negotiation whereby a hybrid solution is arrived at between parties to an issue, dispute or disagreement, comprising typically of concessions made by all parties, and to which all parties then subscribe unanimously as an acceptable resolution to the issue or disagreement.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consensus
Consensus Ad Idem: Latin: an agreement - a meeting of the minds between the parties where all understand the commitments made by each. A basic requirement for a contract.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consensus Ad Idem
Consideration: Some right, interest, profit or benefit accruing to the one party of a contract, or some forbearance, detriment, loss or responsibility given, suffered or undertaken by the other.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consideration
Consign: To leave an item of property in the custody of another.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consign
Conspiracy: An agreement between two or more persons to commit a criminal act.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conspiracy
Constitution: The basic law of a state which sets out how that state will be organized, the powers and authorities of government between different political units, and by stating and the basic principles of the society.
Expanded Legal Definition of Constitution
Construction: The legal process of interpreting a phrase or document; of trying to find it’s meaning.
Expanded Legal Definition of Construction
Constructive Dismissal: Under the employment law of some states, judges will consider a situation where there has been a fundamental violation of the rights of an employee, by the employer, so severe that the employee would have the right to consider himself as dismissed, even though, in fact, there has been no act of dismissal on the part of the employer.
Expanded Legal Definition of Constructive Dismissal
Constructive Trust: A trust which a court declares or imposes onto participants in very specific circumstances such as those giving rise to an action for unjust enrichment, and notwithstanding the lack of any willing settlor to declare the trust.
Expanded Legal Definition of Constructive Trust
Contempt of Court: Conduct that is disobedient, obstructive or contemptuous to the Court.
Expanded Legal Definition of Contempt of Court
Contingency Fee: A method of payment of legal fees represented by a percentage of an award.
Expanded Legal Definition of Contingency Fee
Contract: An agreement between persons which obliges each party to do or not to do a certain thing.
Expanded Legal Definition of Contract
Contract Law: That body of law which regulates the formation and enforcement of contracts.
Expanded Legal Definition of Contract Law
Contributory Negligence: The negligence of a person which, while not being the primary cause of a tort, nevertheless combined with the act or omission of the primary defendant to cause the tort, and without which the tort would not have occurred.
Expanded Legal Definition of Contributory Negligence
Conversion: A legal action against a person who found and converted someone else property to his own use.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conversion
Conveyance: A written document which transfers property from one person to another, usually real property.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conveyance
Conviction: The formal decision of a criminal trial which finds the accused guilty.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conviction
Coparcenary: An obsolete co-ownership mechanism of English law where property, if there was no will, always went to the eldest son.
Expanded Legal Definition of Coparcenary
Copyright: The exclusive right to produce or reproduce (copy), to perform in public or to publish an original literary or artistic work, pursuant to a statute usually called the "Copyright Act", or some similar name.
Expanded Legal Definition of Copyright
Coroner: A public official who holds an inquiry into violent or suspicious deaths.
Expanded Legal Definition of Coroner
Corporal Punishment: A punishment for some violation of conduct which involves the infliction of pain on, or harm to the body
Expanded Legal Definition of Corporal Punishment
Corporate Secretary: Officer of a corporation responsible for the official documents of the corporation such as the official seal, records of shares issued, and minutes of all board or committee meetings.
Expanded Legal Definition of Corporate Secretary
Corporation: A legal entity, created under the authority of a statute, which permits a group of people, as shareholders, to apply to the government for an independent organization to be created, which then pursues set objectives, and is empowered with legal rights usually only reserved for individuals, such as to sue and be sued, own property, hire employees or loan and borrow money.
Expanded Legal Definition of Corporation
Costs: A court order that the losing party in litigation must pay the successful party's expenses plus an additional allowance, the latter as a contribution towards the winner's legal fees.
Expanded Legal Definition of Costs
Council: A formal group of experts brought together on a regular basis to debate matters within that sphere of expertise, often with advisory powers to government.
Expanded Legal Definition of Council
Court Martial: A military court set up to try and punish offenses taken by members of the army, navy or air force.
Expanded Legal Definition of Court Martial
Court of Admiralty: A rather archaic term used to denote the court which has the right to hear shipping, ocean and sea legal cases; jurisdiction over maritime law cases.
Expanded Legal Definition of Court of Admiralty
Covenant: A written document in which signatories either commit themselves to do a certain thing, to not do a certain thing or in which they agree on a certain set of facts.
Expanded Legal Definition of Covenant
Creditor: A person to whom money, goods or services are owed by the debtor.
Expanded Legal Definition of Creditor
Crime: An act or omission which is prohibited by criminal law and punished, usually by fine or imprisonment.
Expanded Legal Definition of Crime
Criminal Conversation: Criminal conversation: synonymous with adultery.
Expanded Legal Definition of Criminal Conversation
Criminal Law: That body of the law that deals with conduct considered so harmful to society as a whole that it is prohibited by statute, prosecuted and punished by the government.
Expanded Legal Definition of Criminal Law
Cross Examination: The examination of a witness called by the other side at trial and for which leading questions are permitted.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cross Examination
Crown: The word refers specifically to the British Monarch, where she is the head of state of Commonwealth countries.
Expanded Legal Definition of Crown
Cuius Est Solum Ejus Est Usque Ad Caelum: Latin: who owns the land, owns down to the center of the earth and up to the heavens.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cuius Est Solum Ejus Est Usque Ad Caelum
Culpa Lata: Latin: gross negligence.
Expanded Legal Definition of Culpa Lata
Curtilage: The yard surrounding a residence or dwelling house which is reserved for or used by the occupants for their enjoyment or work.
Expanded Legal Definition of Curtilage
Custody: Charge and control of a person or item of property.
Expanded Legal Definition of Custody
Cy-pres: As near as may be.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cy-pres
Caveat Emptor: Let the buyer beware or that the buyers should examine and check for themselves things which they intend to purchase and that they cannot later hold the vendor responsible for the broken condition of the thing bought.
Expanded Legal Definition of Caveat Emptor
Curtesy: Widower's right to an interest in his deceased wife's real property.
Expanded Legal Definition of Curtesy
Crimes Against Humanity: An international criminal justice offence; the perpetration of acts of war upon a civilian, non-soldier population.
Expanded Legal Definition of Crimes Against Humanity
Certificate of Independent Legal Advice: A document that attests that a person has received legal advice on a proposed contract, from a lawyer not associated with the other contracting party.
Expanded Legal Definition of Certificate of Independent Legal Advice
Condition Subsequent: A condition in a contract that causes the contract to become invalid if a certain event occurs.
Expanded Legal Definition of Condition Subsequent
Confession: A statement made by a person suspected or charged with a crime, that he (or she) did, in fact, commit that crime.
Expanded Legal Definition of Confession
Criminal Negligence: Reckless disregard for the lives or safety of other persons.
Expanded Legal Definition of Criminal Negligence
Child Support: Periodic money payments payable by a non-custodial parent, to the custodial parent, for the care of his or her child.
Expanded Legal Definition of Child Support
Counterclaim: A defendant's claim against a plaintiff.
Expanded Legal Definition of Counterclaim
Chinese Wall: A screening barricade established within a law firm to prevent conflicts of interests between associates.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chinese Wall
Cone of Silence: An oath by a solicitor or other employee in a law firm not to disclose any information in regards to a previous client otherwise placing that lawyer or employee in a conflict of interest with other clients of the same law firm.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cone of Silence
Citizen's Arrest: Detainment of a person suspected of having committed a crime, by a person other than a police officer.
Expanded Legal Definition of Citizen's Arrest
Charterparty: A transportation contract which includes the full and exclusive use of the airplane, vehicle or vessel for the duration of the transportation of either goods or persons.
Expanded Legal Definition of Charterparty
Crumbling Skull Rule: A legal theory, companion to the thin skull rule, which limits a tort defendant’s exposure to a plaintiff’s injuries to the plaintiff’s condition at the time of the tort.
Expanded Legal Definition of Crumbling Skull Rule
Carrier's Case: A monumental 1473 English case which extended the offence of theft (then called larceny) to include a carrier of goods who, initially lawfully in possession, converts goods to his own use.
Expanded Legal Definition of Carrier's Case
Co-operative: A group of people formed as a separate organization and which has as a stated purpose either in regards to the public at-large or in regards to the common interests of the members.
Expanded Legal Definition of Co-operative
Community Property: A marriage property legal term; property acquired or owned during a marriage or, where recognized, a marriage-like relationship, and which belongs, notwithstanding title, as in a partnership and as tenants in common (“hence “community”), to each spouse equally and subject to division on that basis in the event of separation or divorce.
Expanded Legal Definition of Community Property
Corollary Relief: Relief sought from a Court which is incidental, consequential or additional to another principal relief.
Expanded Legal Definition of Corollary Relief
Clear Days: Full and complete days.
Expanded Legal Definition of Clear Days
Carry: The observation or declaration by the chair of a meeting that a member’s motion has passed or attained the requisite majority vote, and is thus converted into a resolution of the whole meeting or organization.
Expanded Legal Definition of Carry
Commissioner of Oath: A formal appointment or commission governments give to individuals empowering them to certify the oath of another upon documents, such as affidavits.
Expanded Legal Definition of Commissioner of Oath
Confederation: A loose association of states in which a central, subordinate and limited government structure is created for some common purpose, except in Canada where it is used to describe a federal system in which the central government is not so subordinate to the provincial or regional governments.
Expanded Legal Definition of Confederation
Communism: A utopian state of government where specified property or means of production are owned by the state and not citizens or persons, and which may also provide for a form of equal distribution of national production.
Expanded Legal Definition of Communism
Certificate of Pending Litigation: A registration or/of a notice or warning that litigation is ongoing as to ownership of a particular piece of land or other real property; also known as a certificate of lis pendens.
Expanded Legal Definition of Certificate of Pending Litigation
Criminal Libel: A criminal offence; deliberate publication of defamatory lies which the publisher knows to be false.
Expanded Legal Definition of Criminal Libel
Costs Follow The Event: An award of costs will generally flow with the result of litigation; the successful party being entitled to an order for costs against the unsuccessful party.
Expanded Legal Definition of Costs Follow The Event
Conflict of Laws: A specialized branch of law which resolves cases which have an element of conflicting foreign law.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conflict of Laws
Criminal Bankruptcy: The forced bankruptcy of a convicted person.
Expanded Legal Definition of Criminal Bankruptcy
Cruelty: Conduct that causes bodily or mental injury, or apprehension to such injury, to a person or an animal, without legitimate purpose.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cruelty
Chancery: The English law court with exclusive jurisdiction over equity; now phased-out and merged with the common law courts.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chancery
Conditional Discharge: A sentence of a person found guilty of a crime in which upon completion of specified actions by the accused, no criminal record issues as regards the offense for which a conditional discharge was granted.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conditional Discharge
Conditional Sentence: A sentence of a person convicted of a crime which allow that person to serve his sentence whilst continuing to reside within his/her community, subject to supervision and reporting, and fully recoverable in the event of breach of those conditions.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conditional Sentence
Common Land: Land that, ownership notwithstanding, is available for the use and enjoyment of all, or for the use or enjoyment of a class of persons.
Expanded Legal Definition of Common Land
Common Law Relationship: Two unmarried persons living together as though married.
Expanded Legal Definition of Common Law Relationship
Constructive Total Loss: Insured property that has been abandoned because its actual total loss appears to be unavoidable, or because it could not be preserved or repaired without an expenditure which would exceed its value.
Expanded Legal Definition of Constructive Total Loss
Cabotage: Trade transit of a vessel along the coast (coastal trading), from one port to another within the territorial limits of a single nation.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cabotage
Coastal Trading: Trade transit of a vessel along the coast, from one port to another within the territorial limits of a single nation.
Expanded Legal Definition of Coastal Trading
Custodia Legis: In the custody of the law; the taking, seizing or holding of something by lawful authority.
Expanded Legal Definition of Custodia Legis
Continuance: An adjournment of a trial or some other legal hearing.
Expanded Legal Definition of Continuance
CIF: Transportation contract acronym for "cost, insurance and freight" usually in reference to the sale price being inclusive thereof.
Expanded Legal Definition of CIF
Collision: An accidental contact between two or more vehicles or ships which causes damage.
Expanded Legal Definition of Collision
COLREGS 1972: Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972; an international set of standard navigation rules to prevent collisions at sea.
Expanded Legal Definition of COLREGS 1972
Criminal Harassment: Unsolicited annoying, alarming or abusive conduct or words which are threatening.
Expanded Legal Definition of Criminal Harassment
Civil Code: A document in civil law jurisdictions that purports to be a compendium of the applicable law as it pertains to the citizen.
Expanded Legal Definition of Civil Code
Constructive Eviction: An implied eviction where the landlord's act or omission justifies the immediate departure of the tenant.
Expanded Legal Definition of Constructive Eviction
Criminal Code: A statute which purports or attempts to set out all prohibited or criminal offences, and their various punishments.
Expanded Legal Definition of Criminal Code
Conciliation: A form of alternate dispute resolution (ADR) in which a neutral third-party hears both sides and then isues a non-binding suggested resolution.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conciliation
Collective Bargaining: Trade agreement negotiation between an employer and a person(s) representative of a larger unit of employees, to govern hiring, work, pay and dispute resolution.
Expanded Legal Definition of Collective Bargaining
Collective Bargaining Agreement: A contract on hiring, working conditions and dispute resolution between an employer and a union, the latter representing employees of a defined group.
Expanded Legal Definition of Collective Bargaining Agreement
Commercial Arbitration: Arbitration of a dispute as to a trade transaction for the supply or exchange of goods or services.
Expanded Legal Definition of Commercial Arbitration
Centrocon Clause: A clause in an arbitration agreement which bars a claim if not made in writing and an arbitrator appointed within a set time frame.
Expanded Legal Definition of Centrocon Clause
Civil Liability: A civil law requirement to compensate another because of an unlawful injury to his/her person or property.
Expanded Legal Definition of Civil Liability
Concubinage: Civil law term for an unmarried couple living nonetheless as husband and wife or, where same-sex relationships are recognized by law, such similar cohabitation relationships.
Expanded Legal Definition of Concubinage
Civil Union: A formal union between two people, of the same or of different genders which results in, but falls short of, marriage-like rights and obligations.
Expanded Legal Definition of Civil Union
Civil Covenant of Solidarity: A contract by two individuals of the age of majority, of different or same gender, to provide legal rights and obligations as a result of their cohabitation.
Expanded Legal Definition of Civil Covenant of Solidarity
Court of Pie Powder: A special court that sat in times of public markets or fairs in England in medieval times, with exclusive jurisdiction over disputes between merchants and consumers and any other dispute arising as a result of the market or fair and on fair grounds.
Expanded Legal Definition of Court of Pie Powder
Commodum Ex Injuria Sua Nemo Habere Debet: Latin: a wrongdoer should not be enabled by law to take any advantage from his actions.
Expanded Legal Definition of Commodum Ex Injuria Sua Nemo Habere Debet
Crimen Omnia Ex Se Nata Vitiat: Latin: property obtained by crime is tainted (vitiated).
Expanded Legal Definition of Crimen Omnia Ex Se Nata Vitiat
Consuetudo Volentes Ducit, Lex Nolentes Trahit: Customs leads the willing, law drags the unwilling.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consuetudo Volentes Ducit, Lex Nolentes Trahit
Credit Card: A plastic card issued to concede to the holder, upon presentation to authorized stores or service providers, products or services on credit.
Expanded Legal Definition of Credit Card
Cardholder Agreement: A contract presented by a credit card company or through an agent, usually a bank, setting out the terms of the consumer's use of and liability for the credit card.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cardholder Agreement
Consumer Scam: A deceptive sale of goods or services to a consumer designed to extract money unreasonably excessive given the services rendered or goods provided, if any.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consumer Scam
Consumer Fraud: An act or omission in the conduct of trade or commerce designed to mislead a consumer.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consumer Fraud
Conduct Unbecoming: Conduct on the part of a certified professional that is contrary to the interests of the public served by that professional, or which harms the standing of the profession in the eyes of the public.
Expanded Legal Definition of Conduct Unbecoming
Commorientes: Two or more persons dying at about the same time, usually in the same event, but in circumstances in which it is impossible to determine the order of death.
Expanded Legal Definition of Commorientes
Compassionate Care Leave: Paid or unpaid leave to care or support a gravely ill family member.
Expanded Legal Definition of Compassionate Care Leave
Church: A charitable association of persons organized for the advancement of religion and for the conduct of religious worship, services or rites, and that is permanently established.
Expanded Legal Definition of Church
Charity: A corporate non-profit body holdings property in trust for educational, religious, anti-poverty or some other purpose beneficial to the community.
Expanded Legal Definition of Charity
Child: A young individual who is under the legal age of majority, or who is the natural offspring of another.
Expanded Legal Definition of Child
Child of the Marriage: A dependent child of two persons, married at the time of conception of the child, and for whom both parents are financialy liable.
Expanded Legal Definition of Child of the Marriage
Cease and Desist Letter: A letter which advises a person to stop (cease and desist) using specified legal rights which are asserted by another.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cease and Desist Letter
Carrier: Persons who carry goods or passengers for others, either freely or for consideration.
Expanded Legal Definition of Carrier
Carriage: The transportation, by carriers, of people or goods for free or for reward.
Expanded Legal Definition of Carriage
Common Carrier: A carrier who accepts to transport goods indiscriminately.
Expanded Legal Definition of Common Carrier
Confusion: Civil law: grounds for extinguishing a contractual obligation when creditor and debtor become the same person.
Expanded Legal Definition of Confusion
Co-ownership: A generic legal term that refers to various forms of ownership over one asset by more than one person.
Expanded Legal Definition of Co-ownership
Curial Deference: That general courts ought to defer to the rulings of specialized tribunals save exceptional circumstances.
Expanded Legal Definition of Curial Deference
Condominium: A unit or defined portion of ownership in real property, similar to an apartment.
Expanded Legal Definition of Condominium
Comity: A principle of international law, that one state, to the greatest extent possible, recognize the legislative, executive or judicial acts of another.
Expanded Legal Definition of Comity
Court: Either the room in which, and during which, judicial proceedings are hosted, or to the judicial body presiding over those proceedings, usually personified in the person of a judge.
Expanded Legal Definition of Court
Consortium: Companionship, love and affection and intimacy between husband and wife within a mariage.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consortium
Connivance: Secretly privy or accessory to the act of another.
Expanded Legal Definition of Connivance
Candy: Crystallized sugar more fully called sugar candy; also any confection made of, or so incrusted.
Expanded Legal Definition of Candy
Cancel: To terminate; to put an end to.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cancel
Chirograph: A medieval form of contract which allowed for several verifiable authentic versions.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chirograph
Contribution: The right of a person who has discharged a common liability to recover proportionate share from the other(s) that were so liable.
Expanded Legal Definition of Contribution
Chambers: A court which sits to dispose of procedural matters.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chambers
Corody: A pension in food or such other things as may be required for sustenance.
Expanded Legal Definition of Corody
Chamberdeacon: An Irish beggar, circa 1413.
Expanded Legal Definition of Chamberdeacon
Consolidation: The union of two or more corporations into one corporate body after which the constituent corporations cease to exist.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consolidation
Corrective Force: Force used upon those over which an individual generally has guardian responsibilities, used to remove a dependent from a particular situation or to secure compliance with instructions.
Expanded Legal Definition of Corrective Force
Certainty of Terms: A legal requirement of a valid offer to contract; that it must be precise and definite in order to be subject to acceptance.
Expanded Legal Definition of Certainty of Terms
Concurrent Estates: Property owned by two or more persons at the same time.
Expanded Legal Definition of Concurrent Estates
Cognates: Relations through the mother.
Expanded Legal Definition of Cognates
Causation: The cause and effect relationship between an act or omission and damages alleged in a tort or personal injury action.
Expanded Legal Definition of Causation
Causa Sine Qua Non: An intervening cause of loss which, though not direct, may nonetheless contrinute to the loss.
Expanded Legal Definition of Causa Sine Qua Non
Causa Causans: The real, effective cause of damage.
Expanded Legal Definition of Causa Causans
Causa Proxima Et Non Remota Spectatur: Latin: the immediate, not the remote cause, is to be considered.
Expanded Legal Definition of Causa Proxima Et Non Remota Spectatur
Complementarity: The co-existence of two or more equally authoritative systems or sources of law.
Expanded Legal Definition of Complementarity
Capital Offence: A criminal offence for which the punishment, or one of the punishments, is death, capital punishment.
Expanded Legal Definition of Capital Offence
Call For Tenders: A property owner's invitation, sometimes at large, sometimes to a select group, for bids to complete a particular project.
Expanded Legal Definition of Call For Tenders
Call To The Bar: The official moment that an individual is sworn or entered into a law society or state bar or court and therafter licensed to prectise law in that jurisdiction.
Expanded Legal Definition of Call To The Bar
Calderbank Letter: A species of settlement offer delivered in the form of a letter and which can be used in the event that it is rejected and subsequent to trial or hearing of the litigation which results in terms similar to the rejected offer, costs are spoken to.
Expanded Legal Definition of Calderbank Letter
Calendar Year: A period from January 1 to December 31.
Expanded Legal Definition of Calendar Year
Calendar Month: A period from a specified day in one month to the day numericaly corresponding to that day in the following month, less one.
Expanded Legal Definition of Calendar Month
Calendar Day: In some jurisdictions, a period of time from midnight to midnight. In others, a full 24 hour period (eg. 3 am to 3 am).
Expanded Legal Definition of Calendar Day
Calendar Week: Depending on the context, either a period of time from midnight, Saturday to following midnight Saturday, or any period of seven consecutive days.
Expanded Legal Definition of Calendar Week
Calendar Quarter: A period of three consecutive months starting on one of January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1.
Expanded Legal Definition of Calendar Quarter
Capital Gain: The eventual, net proceeds of sale of an asset, subtracting the original purchase price from the sale price.
Expanded Legal Definition of Capital Gain
Capital Loss: The amount of monies lost when disposing of an asset, the difference between the higher purchase cost and the subsequent but lower amount received when the asset was sold.
Expanded Legal Definition of Capital Loss
Capital Asset: A designation of an asset so that profit or loss can be tracked for tax purposes; generally, all and any asset belonging to a tax-payer except those specifically excluded.
Expanded Legal Definition of Capital Asset
Capital Expenditure: A once and for all expense to provide an enduring benefit to a capital asset.
Expanded Legal Definition of Capital Expenditure
Costs in any Event of the Cause: An entitlement to costs of an interlocutory application regardless of the ultimate result of the main action.
Expanded Legal Definition of Costs in any Event of the Cause
Costs in the Cause: The gemeral rule in the law of costs that the ultimate victor at trial may get his or her costs against the loser and including all interlocutory applications.
Expanded Legal Definition of Costs in the Cause
Costs if Demanded: An award of costs which is explicitly left to the discretion of the party to whom costs are awarded.
Expanded Legal Definition of Costs if Demanded
Convention Refugee: An individual defined in the 1951 UN refugee treaty as having a well-founded fear that, were he or she to return to their country of origin, he or she would suffer persecution.
Expanded Legal Definition of Convention Refugee
Co-debtor: One of two or more debtors who are primarily liable to the same debt.
Expanded Legal Definition of Co-debtor
Consumer Debt: Debt incurred by an individual primarily for a personal, family, or household purpose.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consumer Debt
Co-debtor Stay: A stay upon the debt enforcement or collection upon a co-debtor.
Expanded Legal Definition of Co-debtor Stay
Consumer Debtor: A term of bankruptcy law designating debtors who have debts under a prescribed amount.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consumer Debtor
Consumer Proposal: A summary form of bankruptcy for qualified individuals.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consumer Proposal
Constitutional Supremacy: A system of government in which the law-making freedom of parliamentary supremacy cedes to the requirements of a Constitution.
Expanded Legal Definition of Constitutional Supremacy
Common Law Marriage: An ancient form of marriage, by consent and consummation but otherwise recognized in the common law.
Expanded Legal Definition of Common Law Marriage
Citizenship: The status of an individual as owing allegiance to, and enjoying the benefits of, a designated state.
Expanded Legal Definition of Citizenship
Concurrent Sentence: A sentence which runs with another.
Expanded Legal Definition of Concurrent Sentence
Consecutive Sentences: Sentences which run one after the other.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consecutive Sentences
Consul: A representative of a foreign government assigned to another country to promote and protect the commercial interests of the subjects of his government.
Expanded Legal Definition of Consul
Congenital: Existing at birth.
Expanded Legal Definition of Congenital

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