Legal Vocabulary from MOCK Exams 1-4

A collection of legal vocabulary terms, including Latin phrases and procedural terminology, based on the provided MOCK exam transcript notes.

Abrogate (to)

To abolish, repeal, or annual a law, custom, or decree.

Abscond (to)

To depart suddenly and secretly, especially to avoid capture or legal prosecution.

Accessory after the fact

A person who helps a perpetrator after a crime has been committed, such as by hiding them or helping them escape.

Ad hoc

Formed or done for a particular purpose only; temporary and specific.

Adjudication of intestacy

A court judgment or ruling regarding the estate of a person who died without a valid will.

Adverse witness

A witness who gives evidence that is damaging to the party who called them, or who is openly hostile.

Ancillary administrator

A person appointed to manage and settle the estate of a deceased person in a state other than where they were a primary resident.

Apostille

A form of authentication issued to documents for use in countries that participate in the Hague Convention.

Arrears

Money that is owed and should have been paid at an earlier date; overdue debt.

Articles of incorporation

The primary rules governing the management of a corporation in the United States and Canada, filed with a state or other regulatory body.

Bona fide

Genuine, real, or made in good faith without intent to deceive.

Chattel

An item of property other than real estate; personal property.

Coup d’état

The sudden, violent overthrow of an existing government by a small group.

Coup de grâce

A final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal; a decisive finishing action.

Damages (monetary compensation)

A sum of money claimed or awarded in compensation for a loss or injury.

DBA

An acronym for "Doing Business As," used when the name under which a business operates is different from its legal, registered name.

De facto (in reality, actually)

Practices that exist in reality, even if they are not officially or legally authorized.

Dereliction of duties

The shameful failure to fulfill one’s obligations or responsibilities.

Devise property (to)

To leave real estate or property to someone by the terms of a will.

Disclaimer of paternity

A legal statement or action taken to deny being the biological father of a child.

Double hearsay

A statement that contains another hearsay statement within it, which is generally not admissible in court.

Earnest money

A deposit made to a seller that represents a buyer's good faith to buy a home or fulfill a contract.

Egregious (extraordinary in a bad way)

Outstandingly or shockingly bad or reprehensible.

Emancipation

The process by which a minor is legally freed from the control of their parents or guardians.

Force majeure

Unforeseeable circumstances, often referred to as "acts of God," that prevent someone from fulfilling a contract.

Goodwill (intangible asset)

The established reputation of a business regarded as a quantifiable asset, such as brand name or customer loyalty.

In articulo mortis

A Latin phrase meaning "at the point of death" or while facing imminent death.

Indemnity (compensation $$)

Security or protection against a loss or other financial burden; compensation for damages.

Injunction (must do or can’t do order)

A judicial order that restrains a person from beginning or continuing an action, or compels them to carry out a specific act.

Intestate (without a will)

The status of the estate of a person who dies without having made a valid will.

Legal term of art

A word or phrase that has a specific, precise meaning within a particular field, especially law.

Long-arm jurisdiction

The ability of local courts to exercise jurisdiction over foreign (out-of-state) defendants based on their activities within the state.

Maim (to)

To wound or injure someone so that part of the body is permanently damaged.

Nonfeasance

The failure to perform an act that is required by law or that one is contractually obligated to perform.

Pendente lite

A Latin term meaning "pending the litigation"; matters that remain open while a lawsuit is ongoing.

Peremptory challenge

An objection to a proposed juror made without needing to give a specific reason.

Pro hac vice admission (lawyer)

Permission granted to a lawyer to practice in a jurisdiction for a specific case only, despite not being licensed in that state.

Quiet title (action to)

A lawsuit brought in a court to establish a party's title to real property or to "quiet" any challenges to the title.

Rap sheet

A person's official criminal record, listing all past arrests and convictions.

Rescind (to)

To revoke, cancel, or repeal a law, order, agreement, or contract.

Sequestration (government budget)

The automatic spending cuts to the United States federal budget under certain laws.

Sua sponte

A Latin term meaning "of one's own accord," referring to an action taken by a judge without a motion from either party.

Tenancy in common

A shared tenancy in which each holder has a distinct, separately transferable interest in the property.

Vacate (to) (a judicial decision)

To cancel or annual a previous court judgment or legal decree.

Verbatim

In exactly the same words as were used originally; word for word.

Vicariously

Experienced or performed through the action or representation of another person.

Vitiate (to)

To spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of something, or to destroy its legal validity.

Want (lack) of consideration

In contract law, the absence of the value or price that induces a party to enter into a contract, which may make the contract unenforceable.

Ward

A person, especially a minor or someone legally incompetent, who is under the protection of a guardian or the court.

Wobbler

A crime that can be prosecuted as either a felony or a misdemeanor at the discretion of the prosecutor or judge.