ILEC - Lesson 2

the act of formally delivering court documents to a party

the act of formally delivering court documents to a party

Your proposed changes give rise to some serious concerns.

to cause something to happen; to cause something to exist

The first case of the Crown appealing against a murder acquittal in Northern Ireland opens in Belfast.

a formal declaration in court that a person is not guilty of a crime they were accused of

More than 1,000 say they and their families have suffered ill-health and the government could now face its largest class action yet.

a claim brought by one or more people on behalf of the interests of a large group

Wal-Mart has been at the center of a massive sex discrimination class action lawsuit.

a lawsuit filed by a group of people sharing a common legal position against a defendant and which can be efficiently and fairly tried in a single action.

During the trial one of the killers, Timy Babmuboni, went into the witness box but his story was torn to shreds during cross examination by prosecutor Brian Altman.

the questioning of a witness called by the other side in a hearing or trial

Lawyers have claimed that proposals to raise the threshold for small claims from £1,000 to £2,500 would be a disincentive to bring valid cases.

something (often a financial disadvantage) that makes people not want to do something

In our adversarial system, defendants have a fundamental right to legal counsel.

an adversarial system is one where two sides disagree with, oppose and attack each other, especially in law and politics

I would counsel you not to sign the contract in its present state.

to recommend a particular course of action

The Supreme Court upheld the law permitting the distribution of campaign flyers on city streets on the grounds of freedom of speech.

to declare that a challenged law is valid; to state officially that a decision or fact etc is correct

The necessary means, especially financial means

This phone has an inherent fault whereby it keeps switching itself off without warning.

The jury did not believe him because his description of the violence used was inconsistent with the victim's injuries.

if one thing is inconsistent with another, then both cannot be true; incompatible with; contradictory (to)

The testimony was consistent with the known facts.

compatible with, able to exist with or in agreement with something else; having the same principles as something else

A conviction later used to enhance a federal sentence was unconstitutionally obtained

to increase or improve the quality, value, length or size etc of something

The repayment of the loan is scheduled in monthly installments.

the paying back of a loan, a debt or other some of money

The financial crisis is forcing good businesses towards insolvency.

insolvency occurs when your debts are greater than the assets you have available to pay them

I do little very little contentious work; most of my time is spent drafting contracts.

causing or likely to cause disagreement

to become law; to become valid; to come into operation

He claimed that he always adheres to the rules.

if you adhere to an agreement or a law etc then you accept it and act according to it

We paid off the mortgage in 1994 and kept the endowment going to use as a supplement to our pension.

to add something to something else to help reach a more acceptable level, especially money, food and vitamins etc

The court issued a summons to the defendant on 13th October 2009.

an order requiring a person to appear in court or at an official enquiry

The prosecution applied to the court for a witness summons to direct the witness to attend court to give evidence.

a legal document ordering a person to appear before a court

Scott should be given the power to subpoena witnesses if the enquiry is to be successful.

to issue an order requiring a person to appear in court or at an official enquiry

the defendant was summoned to appear before the judge.

His lawyeres have served a writ for £500,000 in damages against the newspaper.

to give a legal document to someone telling them that they must go to court or obey a court order

Pack sent to a defendant by the court following the issue of a claim containing forms for acknowledging service of the claim and indicating whether it will be defended, admitting liability and making offers to pay the claim by instalments.

The company executive admitted that he had fired the employee because she was pregnant.

to agree that a claim or accusation is correct

How can you defend someone you know is guilty?

to represent a defendant during a trial or other judicial hearing

Stevens filed a counterclaim stating the claimant owed him money for unpaid orders.

a claim filed by a defendant against a claimant in a civil action

The particulars of claim were filed and served on the defendant (=person against whom action is brought).

document setting out the case of the claimant (=person who brings an action in a court) and the specific facts relied upon

The issue of the failure to give the statutory warning is a matter of procedural law.

the legal rules governing the practice and procedure of the courts when conducting lawsuits

claims of 5.000 pounds or less

(Law) Brit and Canadian a local court with jurisdiction to try civil actions involving small claims

claims up to 15.000 pounds

more complex claims with greater value

The agreement states that disclosure of confidential information is prohibited (=not allowed).

the giving out of information which would otherwise be kept secret

The law places a ban on disclosure, such that recipients of the letters are forbidden to tell their customers, or any other party, that the records have been turned over.

a provision in a law or court order prohibiting a party from disclosing information to a third party

Are you ready to give a statement?

a formal written outline of events that a person who has seen, been involved in or accused of a crime gives to the police

Anderson was cleared of the shooting after jurors rejected the testimony of a witness.

spoken or written statements given by a witness during legal proceedings confirming that something is true

The defendant obtained a stay of execution on the enforcement of the judgment.

the stopping of a lawsuit or other legal proceeding by a court order, often temporarily, without dismissing the action

Now that the automatic stay has been issued, we can stop worrying about paying bills and start preparing for the upcoming bankruptcy hearing.

the result of filing a bankruptcy petition, which stops all legal proceedings in other courts from proceeding against the debtor

The judge allowed the bank relief from stay because of the bank’s large risk of loss.

permission granted by the bankruptcy court for a creditor to sue on a claim against a debtor or the debtor’s property even while the debtor’s bankruptcy hearing is pending (=waiting to happen)

Under the new regime, the judge becomes the case manager. A case is allocated to one of three tracks, depending on the value of the dispute and the complexity of the case: the small claims track, fast track, or multi-track.

The board is considering legal action to force a review of the decision.

a judicial reexamination and reconsideration of the legality or constitutionality of a decision taken by the government, an authority or other agent of the state

The law allows the department to compel companies to turn over customer records.

to require or force, often by court order

Most of our members derive 100 percent of their income from commissions on a limited variety of products.

if you derive something from something then you get it from that thing