Appendix 5

GLOSSARY OF LEGAL TERMS

Attorney	a former term for a solicitor.
Barrister	an advocate who represents a client in court hearings.
Civil Law	any law dealing with disputes between two parties where the rights of one have been infringed. Sanctions placed on the transgressing party are restricted to damages.
Contract Law	a branch of law dealing with broken agreements between two parties.
Criminal Conversation	a claim for damages made by a married man against his wife’s lover.
	Despite its name, it was a civil dispute.
Criminal Law	a branch of law dealing with crimes committed by one person against another. It can issue fines or impose prison sentences.
Decree Nisi	a Court’s agreement that a marriage can be ended by divorce on a specified date.
Defendant	a person who defends a claim made against him in court.
Judge	a legally qualified person who oversees proceedings in a court, ensuring that the law is followed. Very experienced judges may be asked to preside in appeal courts or to determine points of law
Jury	a group of 12 people who are not legally qualified, who listen to the evidence in a case and decide its outcome.
Lawyer	A generic term for any professionally qualified legal advisor.
Plaintiff	person making a claim in a civil court.
Sergeant-at-law	an advocate who represented a client in proceedings in certain courts during the nineteenth century.
Solicitor	a legal advisor responsible for most aspects of a client’s claim, other than representing the client in court.
Tort Law	a branch of law dealing with cases where one party has harmed or injured the other.