Legal English

The purchaser and the seller negotiated a price which was satisfactory to them both.

The vendor is required to provide certain information to prospective bidders.

a person who sells something; seller

The draftsperson must first understand what the law is intended to cover.

someone who writes a legal document that may later have changes made to it before it is finished

However, an investor would, under the general law, have a right of rescission if induced to enter into a transaction by a misleading statement.

a statement can be described as misleading if it causes someone to believe something that is not true

I cannot agree with the Interior Secretary's representations to this court that BS Trust records are not at risk.

if you make representations to someone or something then you make a formal statement to make your opinions known, especially when complaining about something

When you look up a stock quote for a given company, you are looking at the most recent price at which it was successfully traded.

the official, listed price of a share on a stock exchange; the official, listed price of a currency. fixed price offer that can't be changed once accepted by the customer.

time when an action event happened

The insurance companies argued that it was one terrorist attack, and, as a result, only one occurrence and one insurance claim.

(INSURANCE) an event or a continuing condition that leads to loss or injury that is not expected or intended by the insured party

The Nicaraguan government has granted him political asylum.

The fact that a person acted pursuant to an order of his government does not make his actions any less serious.

according to; in accordance with; allowed by; authorised by; in compliance with; in agreement with

Can B, without A's consent, assign A his rights and obligations?

to formally transfer your property, money, contractual rights or other legal rights to another person

Insurance companies paid millions of dollars in damages to settle claims arising out of Hurricane Katrina.

resulting from; because of; due to

Your client has failed to fulfil its obligations under the contract.

to do, perform or provide what has been agreed (eg under a contract)

Under unregistered UK or EU design law it is necessary to provide evidence of design ownership if infringement occurs.

a violation of a law or right

with all due care and deligence

We will not seek to infringe privacy unless justified by a clear public interest or we have obtained consent

West Lothian Council is taking Livingston Football Club to court in a bid to recover outstanding debts.

not yet paid, resolved, completed or dealt with

A reasonable person would have known that death or serious injury was a reasonably foreseeable result of driving while intoxicated (=drunk).

a foreseeable event, time or situation is one that can easily be known about, imagined or guessed before it happens

What are the exact terms of the hold harmless clause in the management agreement? You will hold us harmless for any costs, expenses or legal fees for any such action.

an agreeement or clause in a contract under which one party agrees not to hold the other party legally responsible for something

The claimant filed suit seeking damages for breach of contract.

a person who brings a civil action in court

She lost both the case and the appeal. Her final route of appeal is before the Grand Chamber of the European Court.

the action of asking a higher court to review and change the decision of a lower court; a review by a higher court of a decision made by a lower court

The firm is going to charge us for their services on an hourly basis.

to request payment for a service or product

The defendant denies that he was driving the car at the time of the accident.

a person against whom an action or a prosecution is brought in court

The dispute relates to a shipment of oranges delivered to the buyer's warehouse in Rotterdam.

a conflict or disagreement; a controversy which may result in a lawsuit or other legal process

The plaintiff filed suit seeking damages for breach of contract.

(US) a person who brings a civil action in court

The hearing will concentrate on the issue of fitness for purpose of the goods.

an official meeting held at court, usually in connection with a lawsuit; a trial

The court has issued a permanent injunction preventing campaigners from disrupting work on the site.

a court order preventing a person from doing something, ordering a person to stop doing something or ordering a person to carry out some action

One of the most horrible things that can occur is to have an innocent man wrongly accused, and that's what's happening here.

blameless, faultless (civil law); not guilty (criminal law)

A judicial enquiry will be announced this afternoon.

relating to a judge or a court

Two men have been arrested for drug offences following a police raid in Yeovil.

a crime; an illegal act

When the judge asks how you plead, you must say "guilty" or "not guilty."

to say whether or not you are guilty of a crime in a court of law

The District Attorney said he had not found sufficient grounds to prosecute.

to begin and pursue a criminal case against someone

He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service after being convicted of assault.

the punishment given to a convicted criminal by a court

Two years ago it was deliberately made harder for individuals to take their employers to a tribunal hearing.

a special court set up to try a particular case or a particular type of case in tribunal there are no judges - specialists

The hearing in the proceedings in which John F. Baudouine appears as a petitioner in bankruptcy was resumed yesterday morning.

someone who makes a a formal written request to a court or other official body (=a petition)

He was accused of stealing company funds.

to charge someone with a criminal act or allege that they have committed wrongdoing

Alternative dispute resolution can be a speedier and cheaper way of resolving disputes than litigation.

a way of resolving disagreements without going to court

President Mamadou Tanja of Niger has announced that he will rule the country by decree.

an order, especially one made by a head of state or government, that has the force of law but which has not necessarily been passed into law by the legislature

They obtained a decree nisi in 1981 but the divorce was never finalised with a decree absolute.

the final and conclusive court order that ends a marriage after the condition of a decree nisi is met

In May, the judge reduced punitive damages to $500 in a final judgment in which all parties agreed not to appeal. A doctor fighting to have a phone mast near her house moved is facing a long wait for a decision from the Court of Appeal.

an opinion of a court; the preferred spelling in the legal sense of the word is judgment decision - a judgment of a court, agency or other tribunal