Terminología Jurídica Extranjera - Conceptos para el primer parcial.

UNIT 1 - BASIC LEGAL TERMS.

1. Attorney. An attorney is a person who works in law and gives legal advice.
2. Complaint. A complaint is an accusation in a civil court.
3. Court. A court is a place where justice is administered.
4. Defendant. A defendant is the person who has been accused of wrong doing in the legal system.
5. Judge. A judge is the person who is in charge of and decides cases in a court.
6. Jury. A jury is a group of people who listen to evidence and decide whether someone is guilty of innocent in a court case.
7. Legal System. A country's legal system is the method of interpreting laws and putting them into effect.
8. Paralegal. A paralegal is an attorney's assistant with specialized legal training.
9. Plaintiff. A plaintiff is a person or company who brings a case to court against another person because they want to recover compensation for loss or injury.
10. Verdict. A verdict is a jury's decision regarding whether someone is guilty or innocent.

UNIT 2 - BASIC LEGAL CONCEPTS.

1. Appeal. An appeal is a request for a decision to be investigated again. / To appeal means to ask for a problem to be investigated again, in order to have a decision.
2. Damages. Damages are the money a person receives to compensate for loss or injury.
3. Dispute. A dispute is a disagreement or conflict.
4. Due process. Due process is a citizen's guarantee that he or she will receive a fair trial.
5. Initiate. To start something.
6. Lawsuit. A vernacular term for a suit, action, or cause instituted or depending between two private persons iu the courts of law.
7. Legal action. Legal action is the use of lawyers and the legal system to help solve a problem.
8. Proof. Proof (or evidence) is information, documentary or verbal, which can help to show the truth in a case.
9. Settle. To settle is to come to an agreement and end a dispute without further need of litigation.
10. Trial. A trial is an event in court in which a jury or judge decides if someone is innocert or guilty.

UNIT 3 - LEGAL RESOURCES.

1. Case annotations. Case annotations are articles about individual legal cases.
2. Cases. A general term for an action, cause, suit, or controversy, at law or in equity.
3. Cite. To cite something is to write information that you found in another book and mention wh wrote it originally.
4. Computerized databases. A computerized database is a collection of texts and information which is avaible on a computer.
5. Digest. A digest is a legal book which summarizes individual cases.
6. Form books. A form book is a collection of forms and documents which are required or recommended to be used in legal cases.
7. Journals. A journal is an academic magazine which presents formal articles.
8. Law. The whole system or set of rules made by the government of a town, state, country, etc.
9. Legal encyclopedias. A legal encyclopedia is a book which gives brief information about a wide range of legal matters.
10. Opinions. In the law of evidence, opinion is an inference or conclusion drawn by a witness from facts some of which are known to him and others assumed, or drawn.
11. Primary Materials. Primary materials are texts which give information about the government's laws.
12. References. In a document, a reference is the details about a book and its author that was used to help write the documents. A reference is made to show where information comes from.
13. Resources. A resource is a person or thing that gives information or help.

UNIT 4 - SOURCES OF LAW.

1. Constitutional law. If a law is constitutional, it is connected with the way the state or country is governed, especially with regars to the rights of the people in that place.
2. Court rules. Court rules are the regulations that people must follow in court.
3. Legislation. Legislation is a law or set of laws that is formally decided and put in force by a government.
4. Pertain. If something pertains to something else, it is connected to it.
5. Policy. A policy is a principle which the law encourages.
6. Precedent. A precedent is a decision in a past law case. Lawyers use this information because future cases may result in similar decisions.
7. Procedure. A procedure is a set of steps you must follow in order to do something correctly.
8. Relevant. If something is relevant, it is connected with what is happening.
9. State Law. State law is the set of rules which applies in one area of a country.
10. Statute. A statute is a law that has been written down formally.

UNIT 5 - PRELIMINARY DOCUMENTS.

1. Agenda. The Agenda is a term of parliamentary law and procedure referring to a program, written notice and order of business at an upcoming meeting.
2. Correspondence. Correspondence is letters and emails.
3. Demand package. A demand package is a request for a set of documents related to a case.
4. Fee agreement. A fee agreement is a document that outlines an attorney's cost and expenses.
5. Form letter. A form letter is a letter which is printed many times and sent to may different people.
6. Intake memo. An intake memo is a questionnaire or set of notes that a lawyer writes for a new client.
7. Litigation. Litigation is the process of taking a case to court where a dispute can be heard and a decision made.
8. Medical records. A medical record is a document containing information about your health.
9. Police report. A police report is a document that police officers write in order to report a crime.
10. Retainer agreement. A retainer agreement is a contract between an attorney and a client for the retention of the attorney's services.

UNIT 6 - COURT STRUCTURE.

1. Bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is the situation when a person announces to a court that he has no money.
2. Claims. People make a claim when they ask for something that they believe belong to them.
3. Court of appeals. An appellate court intermediate between the trial courts and the court of last resort.
4. Discretionary review. If a case is discretionay, a court can choose whether or not to investigate it.
5. District courts. A district court is a general court that covers cases in a small area.
6. Jurisdiction. Judisdiction is the authority of an official organization to deal with, hear and decide legal disputes.
7. Reviews. A reconsideration; second view or examination; revision ; consideration for purposes of correction.
8. Specialized courts. If something is specialized, it concentrates on a specific area.
9. State courts. A state court investigates cases that are concerned with state laws, not national laws.
10. The Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the USA, and it reviews the biggest and most important cases.

UNIT 7 - JURISDICTION.

1. Adjudicate. When somebody adjucates, he acts as a judge in a formal matter.
2. Authority. Authority is the right to control people or organizations.
3. Concurrent. If authority is concurrent, it can be shared by different legal bodies.
4. Exclusive. If authority is exclusive, it is held by one body and is not shared.
5. Forum shopping. Forum shopping is the act of choosing which court to take your case to.
6. Legal bodies. A legal body is an organization with power to make or enforce laws.
7. Personal jurisdiction. Personal jurisdiction is the authority of an official organization over a certain type of person.
8. Rule in favor. When a decision rules in someone's favor, the decision benefits that person.
9. Subject jurisdiction. Subject jurisdiction is the authority of an official organization over a particular subject area.
10. Territorial jurisdiction. Territorial jurisdiction is the authority of an official organization over a certain geographical region.