Updated to include new terms such as "civil union" and to incorporate recent changes in laws and judicial interpretations, this handy dictionary cuts through the complexities of legal jargon and presents definitions and explanations that can be understood by non-lawyers. Approximately 2,500 terms are given with definitions and explanations for the benefit of consumers, business proprietors, legal beneficiaries, investors, property owners, litigants, and all others who have dealings with the law. Terms are arranged alphabetically from Abandonment and Abatable Nuisance, all the way through to Writ, Yellow Dog Contract, and Zoning.

Orans Dictionary of the Law is the clearest and easiest to use dictionary on the market. The only major law dictionary created for paralegals and law-related professionals, this comprehensive version has nearly 6,000 main headings and 12,000 definitions. It can be used as a reference tool or as an informal method of learning more about the law. Oran's also identifies the "legalese" that gets in the way of clear thinking and writing, has an additional built-in study aid included on "How to Use" sections, and the "Basic 50 Words" list gives a quick entry to the terms every person needs to know to understand the law.

A huge amount of legal information is contained within this compact and orderly book. All legal terms are easy-to-find and up-to-date, and the book includes definitions, pronunciation, and easily understood explanations. Structured into short, easily digested chapters, Legal Terminology presents the fundamentals of the principal areas of the law, including: terms used in criminal law, tort law, contract law, personal property and agency law, practice and procedure law, will and estate law, trust law, family law, law of negotiable instruments, and business organization law. An excellent reference work for lawyers, legal secretaries, paralegals, legal assistants, and court personnel.

This new dictionary is derived from the famous 1853 law dictionary of John Bouvier, the dictionary used by John Marshall, Daniel Webster, and Abraham Lincoln. Relying on Bouvier's structure and original entries, Professor Stephen Sheppard of the University of Arkansas, has added thousands of new terms and rewritten the most appropriate of the original terms for the first complete revision of this essential dictionary in a hundred years. Features: Clear. These entries are written to be understood by the modern student, argued by the modern lawyer, and cited by the modern judge. They explain, rather than repeat old jargon. Authoritative. The definitions are derived from ancient and contemporary sources, including current statutes, regulations, cases, and treatises, as well as ancient and medieval sources. They are newly written by Steve Sheppard, whose writings have been published by Oxford, Cambridge and other presses, whose law degrees and doctorate are from Oxford and Columbia, whose international legal practice and litigation and whose experience teaching at the University of Arkansas guided the selection of terms. Encyclopedic. The definitions are organized in intuitive structures. Major terms are used to organize concepts and related terms, so that, for instance, the exceptions to Hearsay are under hearsay, and the forms of estate are under Estate. With thorough cross-references, this is an easy book to use and to locate one term from another. Thorough. The 8,500 entries explain more than 11,200 words and phrases. This is far longer than the original two-volume Bouvier's 6,600 entries, and reaches not only the terms most often sought but many scarce terms used in contemporary practice. In-Depth. These entries are robust, written in paragraphs, not sentence fragments. Each is a clear statement of the meaning of the word or phrase, and many provide context and examples that explain not just what the term means but why it matters and how it's used. Resourceful. The concise edition is soon to be followed by a desk edition that provides very single entry with quotations that are carefully selected both to illustrate the use of the word or phrase in legal writing but also to demonstrate some of the greater number of sources consulted in writing the definition. The full effect of these tens of thousands of quotations is to be a reference like the great Abridgments of the Common Law, a source for thought and research.

Prepared by the acclaimed legal lexicographer Bryan A. Garner, the ninth edition of Black s Law Dictionary is a major advancement for the world s most-cited lawbook. The update was reviewed by a panel of 225 legal practitioners from across the country, as well as 65 renowned law professors. This edition features 20% more content than the abridged eighth edition, with emphasis on emerging fields of law, incorporating new legal terms from ableism, bear hug, and click fraud to X-patent, yank-cheating, and zygote intrafallopian transfer. Parts of speech, etymology, and pronunciation are provided where appropriate, plus dozens of subject and usage labels.

The perfect portable reference for anyone who needs Spanish legal terms at their fingertips, this book is designed to help communicate in real-life situations where it is vital to quickly find a legal term or phrase in another language.

Black's Law Dictionary: Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of American and English Jurisprudnce, Ancient and Modern, 5th Edition

Law-related words and phrases abound in our everyday language, often without our being aware of their origins or their particular legal significance: boilerplate, jailbait, pound of flesh, rainmaker, the third degree. This insightful and entertaining book reveals the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions that come from sources as diverse as Shakespeare, vaudeville, and Dr. Seuss. Separate entries for each expression follow no prescribed formula but instead focus on the most interesting, enlightening, and surprising aspects of the words and their evolution. Popular myths and misunderstandings are explored and exploded, and the entries are augmented with historical images and humorous sidebars.Lively and unexpected, Lawtalk will draw a diverse array of readers with its abundance of linguistic, legal, historical, and cultural information. Those readers should be forewarned: upon finishing one entry, there is an irresistible temptation to turn to another, and yet another .  .  . (20110606)

Updated to reflect recent modifications in federal and state law, this book is a quick-reference source for lawyers, law students, legal professionals, and interested laypersons. The author defines more than 5,000 legal terms, using nontechnical language that remains legally accurate. Terms are documented with citations and apply to civil procedure, commercial and contract law, constitutional law, criminal law, property law, and torts. This title is also available in a smaller trim-size and type-size "mass market" edition.

Indicating a basis in solid legal research and an understanding of the practical aspects of court procedures, this dictionary offers clear, accurate, and authoritative entries that go beyond definitions to include commentary, comparison, explanation, and other illuminating content. Lexical and legal sources from multiple English- and Spanish-speaking countries are combined to provide a comprehensive and varied dialectic source, allowing for translation with subtle shades of meaning. Bilingual speakers of any level can access and understand the entries, making this book an ideal desk reference for students as well as translators, interpreters, and other bilingual professionals.