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Terms
Easement
A legal right to the access over or use of another's land or waterway.
Expanded Legal Definition of Easement

Ecclesiastical Law
Synonymous with canon law.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ecclesiastical Law

Emancipation
The act of freeing a person who was under the legal authority of another (such as a child before the age of majority) from that control (such as child reaching the age of majority).
Expanded Legal Definition of Emancipation

Embargo
This is an act of international military aggression where an order is made prohibiting ships or goods from leaving a certain port, city or territory and may be enforced by military threat of destroying any vehicle that attempts to break it or by trade penalties.
Expanded Legal Definition of Embargo

Embezzle
The illegal transfer of money or property that, although possessed legally by the embezzler, is covertly and fraudulently converted to the embezzler's own property.
Expanded Legal Definition of Embezzle

Eminent Domain
USA: The legal power to expropriate private land for the sake of public necessity.
Expanded Legal Definition of Eminent Domain

Emolument
Wages, benefits or other benefit received as compensation for holding some office or employment.
Expanded Legal Definition of Emolument

Emphyteusis
Civil law: a long-term lease of land or buildings; 99 years or such similar long term, or even in perpetuity.
Expanded Legal Definition of Emphyteusis

Emptio or Emtio
Latin for 'purchase' or referring to the contract in which something is bought.
Expanded Legal Definition of Emptio or Emtio

Enactment
A law or a statute; a document which is published as an enforceable set of written rules is said to be enacted.
Expanded Legal Definition of Enactment

Endorsement
Something written on the back of a document. An alternate spelling, in some English jurisdictions, is 'indorsement'.
Expanded Legal Definition of Endorsement

Endowment
The transfer of money or property (usually as a gift) to a public organization for a specific purpose, such as medical research or scholarships.
Expanded Legal Definition of Endowment

Entrapment
The inducement, by law enforcement officers or their agents, of another person to commit a crime for the purposes of bringing charges for the commission of that artificially-provoked crime.
Expanded Legal Definition of Entrapment

Equity
A branch of English law which developed hundreds of years ago when litigants would go to the King and complain of harsh or inflexible rules of common law which prevented "justice" from prevailing.
Expanded Legal Definition of Equity

Escheat
Where property is surrendered to the government upon the death of the owner, because there is nobody to inherit the property.
Expanded Legal Definition of Escheat

Escrow
When the performance of something is outstanding and a third party holds onto money or a written document (such as shares or a deed) until a certain condition is met between the two contracting parties.
Expanded Legal Definition of Escrow

Estate Law
That part of the law which regulates wills, probate and other subjects related to the distribution of a deceased person’s property.
Expanded Legal Definition of Estate Law

Estoppel
A rule of law that when person A, by act or words, gives person B reason to believe a certain set of facts upon which person B takes action, person A cannot later, to his (or her) benefit, deny those facts or say that his (or her) earlier act was improper.
Expanded Legal Definition of Estoppel

Euthanasia
The putting to death, by painless method, of a terminally-ill or severely debilitated person.
Expanded Legal Definition of Euthanasia

Evidence
Proof of fact(s) presented at a judicial hearing such as a trial.
Expanded Legal Definition of Evidence

Ex Aequo Et Bono
Latin: in justice and fairness.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ex Aequo Et Bono

Examination In Chief
The questioning of your own witness under oath.
Expanded Legal Definition of Examination In Chief

Exculpate
Something that excuses or justifies a wrong action.
Expanded Legal Definition of Exculpate

Executor
A person specifically appointed by a testator to administer the will ensuring that final wishes are respected (i.e. that the will is properly "executed").
Expanded Legal Definition of Executor

Exhibit
A document or object shown to the court as evidence in a trial.
Expanded Legal Definition of Exhibit

Ex Parte
Latin: outside the awareness of a party.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ex Parte

Ex Patriate
A person who has abandoned his or her country of origin and citizenship and has become a subject or citizen of another country.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ex Patriate

Ex Post Facto
Latin: after the fact.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ex Post Facto

Expropriation
The forced purchase of land by a public authority from a private owner.
Expanded Legal Definition of Expropriation

Express Trust
A trust which is clearly created by the settlor, usually in the form of a document (eg. a will), although they can be oral.
Expanded Legal Definition of Express Trust

Expunge
To physically erase; to white or strike out.
Expanded Legal Definition of Expunge

Ex Rel
An abbreviation of ex relatione; Latin for 'on the relation of.'
Expanded Legal Definition of Ex Rel

Extortion
Forcing a person to give up property in a thing through the use of violence, fear or under pretense of authority.
Expanded Legal Definition of Extortion

Extradition
The arrest and delivery of a fugitive wanted for a crime committed in another country, usually under the terms of a extradition treaty.
Expanded Legal Definition of Extradition

Ex Turpi Causa Non Oritur Actio
Latin: Of an illegal cause there can be no lawsuit.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ex Turpi Causa Non Oritur Actio

Employment at Will
An employment contract during which the employer may terminate the employment at any time subject only to the reason not being contrary to public policy.
Expanded Legal Definition of Employment at Will

Embracery
Improper influence on a juror.
Expanded Legal Definition of Embracery

Enduring or Continuing Power of Attorney
A POA that continues even if and after a donor becomes incapacitated.
Expanded Legal Definition of Enduring or Continuing Power of Attorney

Eighth Amendment
US constitutional amendment that prohibits "excessive bail (or) fines (and) cruel and unusual punishment...."
Expanded Legal Definition of Eighth Amendment

Eggshell Skull Doctrine
A tort-feasor or a wrongdoer takes his victim as he finds him.
Expanded Legal Definition of Eggshell Skull Doctrine

Ejusdem or Eiusdem Generis
Of the same kind or nature.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ejusdem or Eiusdem Generis

Executive Branch
The executive branch is the administrative arm of government (and thus also called the 'administration' or the 'administrative branch of government'); the one with the most employees as it operates, implements and enforces all the laws created by the legislative branch, and as interpreted, from time to time, by the judiciary.
Expanded Legal Definition of Executive Branch

Executor De Son Tort
A person who meddles with the estate of a deceased person.
Expanded Legal Definition of Executor De Son Tort

Executor's Year
The year from date of death generally granted to the executor to collect and disburse the testator's assets.
Expanded Legal Definition of Executor's Year

Employee
A person who has agreed by contract to perform specified services for another, the employer, in exchange for money.
Expanded Legal Definition of Employee

Employer
A person who is contractually bound to a worker - the employee - to give that worker money as a salary or wages, in exchange for ongoing work and for which the employer directs the work and exercises fundamental control over the work.
Expanded Legal Definition of Employer

Employment Standards
Entirely a creation of statute; minimum employee rights extended for work within the jurisdiction served by the relevant statute.
Expanded Legal Definition of Employment Standards

Eviction
Some permanent act by landlord, or by person or thing under his control, which deprives a tenant of enjoyment of the rented premises.
Expanded Legal Definition of Eviction

E-Commerce
The buying and sellling of goods and services on the internet.
Expanded Legal Definition of E-Commerce

Employment
A contract in which one person, the employee, agrees to perform work for another, the employer.
Expanded Legal Definition of Employment

En Ventre Sa Mere
French: A foetus recognized as a child then alive for the purposes of wills and estates.
Expanded Legal Definition of En Ventre Sa Mere

Estate
A person's property; often used to refer to the net worth of a deceased individual.
Expanded Legal Definition of Estate

Estate Freeze
A deferment of property transfer at the time of death to avoid, reduce or transfer tax liability.
Expanded Legal Definition of Estate Freeze

Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius
Latin: the expression of one thing is the exclusion of the other.
Expanded Legal Definition of Expressio Unius Est Exclusio Alterius

Enticement
An old common law action against any person who caused a husband to lose the love, services or society of his wife.
Expanded Legal Definition of Enticement

Extradition Crime
Conduct which is a crime in both the state seeking extradition and the state extraditing.
Expanded Legal Definition of Extradition Crime

Essoin
A valid excuse for not appearing in Court when summoned.
Expanded Legal Definition of Essoin

Education
Imparting of knowledge; academic instruction and professional training.
Expanded Legal Definition of Education

Extraordinary Resolution
A vote on a resolution presented to a corporate body which has obtained the assent of a number of the members present greater than a majority.
Expanded Legal Definition of Extraordinary Resolution

Electronic Monitoring
Electronic or telecommunications systems used to track and supervise the locations of individuals.
Expanded Legal Definition of Electronic Monitoring

Examination for Discovery
A recorded oral examination of the other side to litigation before trial and under oath, but not before a judge, with a view to obtaining admissions or discovering facts.
Expanded Legal Definition of Examination for Discovery

Exceptio Non Adimpleti Contractus
Latin: exception of a non-performed contract.
Expanded Legal Definition of Exceptio Non Adimpleti Contractus

Estover
Limited rights granted to a tenant of land to certain product of the land, mostly wood.
Expanded Legal Definition of Estover

Enoch Arden Law
A statute that allows a divorce in the event of the absence of a spouse for a number of years.
Expanded Legal Definition of Enoch Arden Law

Excusable Homicide
The accidental or self-defence killing of another person.
Expanded Legal Definition of Excusable Homicide