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Legal Terms in English for IELTS and TOEFL

Published on July 18th, 2019 | Last updated on September 7th, 2020 by | Category: English Vocabulary in Context | 58 Comments on Legal Terms in English for IELTS and TOEFL | 70 Views | Reading Time: 4 minutes

Legal Terms in English

Legal Terms in English

Acquit

In common law jurisdictions, acquitting someone certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is simply abandoned by the prosecution. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction.

Adjourn

Within a week of the start of trial, counsel for the Plaintiff brought an application to adjourn the trial, based on the uncertain prognosis of the Plaintiff. The Plaintiff alleged to have been suffering from chronic pain and headaches, which affected her ability to work. Counsel for the Plaintiff sought an adjournment so that the Plaintiff could undergo a series of Botox injections in an effort to alleviate her headaches symptoms, with such treatment being recommended by the Plaintiff’s neurologist. The Plaintiff would not be in a position to do this before the commencement of trial.

Defendant

A defendant is a person accused of committing a crime in criminal prosecution or a person against whom some type of civil relief is being sought in a civil case.

District attorney

A lawyer who is elected or chosen by local government officials to represent the state government in criminal cases brought in a designated county or judicial district. A DA’s duties typically include reviewing police arrest reports, deciding whether to bring criminal charges against arrested people, and prosecuting criminal cases in court. The DA may also supervise other attorneys, called Deputy District Attorneys or Assistant District Attorneys. In some states, a District Attorney may be called a Prosecuting Attorney, County Attorney, or State’s Attorney.

Exonerate

Exoneration occurs when the conviction for a crime is reversed, either through demonstration of innocence, a flaw in the conviction, or otherwise. Attempts to exonerate convicts are particularly controversial in death penalty cases, especially where new evidence is put forth after the execution has taken place. The transitive verb, “to exonerate” can also mean to informally absolve one from blame.

Felon

A felon is a person who has committed a felony. Following conviction of a felony in a court of law, a person may be described as a convicted felon.

Law enforcement

Law enforcement is any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society.

Litigate

The conduct of a lawsuit is called litigation. The plaintiffs and defendants are called litigants and the attorneys representing them are called litigators. The term litigation may also refer to a Criminal procedure.

Plaintiff

The plaintiff is the person bringing a lawsuit to court, by filing a plea or motion. More frequently these days, in civil law cases, a plaintiff is often called a claimant. That is, the plaintiff or claimant is the person bringing a claim against another person.

Prosecute

People involved in disputes, whether accidents and injuries, family-related issues, or financial disputes, often rush to judgment and decide to prosecute others. Disputes often can be solved through communication and compromise, while not every dispute involves a legal cause of action. It’s also important to keep in mind that civil suits involve financial compensation, which may or may not solve the underlying dispute.

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58 comments on “Legal Terms in English for IELTS and TOEFL”

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    Reply
    • Law enforcement should be taken seriously in order to deter people from violating legislation, most of whom can be rehabilitated easily.

      Reply
          • This part is an adjective clause for “people” with the help of a relative pronoun, and any adjective clause of this ilk should be attached to the noun it modifies. However, in this case, “from violating” is between the noun (people) and the adjective clause, which is wrong and makes the whole sentence ambiguous.

            Reply
    • Law enforcement is an agency which is substantial in order to ensure that the society would adhere to the regulations.

      Reply
      • Your sentences are getting rather too complicated and artificial. Some of them get badly twisted and difficult to understand. Remember that clarity is more important than redundant sophistication.

        Reply
          • The preposition “with” is misleading, particularly about the latter part, i.e. having a monotonous lifestyle
            It seems “because of, due to, as a result of” are better choices instead of “with”.

            Reply
    • The defendant is someone who supposed to defend himself/herself in the court in order to protect him/her reputation.

      Reply

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