Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or in Latin. This week’s word is the latter.
Written by: Jay D. Hall
Pro se is a term used to describe a person who represents themselves in a legal action. The Latin term pro se literally means “for self.”
In a criminal action, a [...]

Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or may save you from living under a leaky roof. This week’s word is the latter.
Written by: J. Aaron Landau
Imagine you’re signing a lease on an apartment. A provision in the contract makes an assurance: so long as you keep up the [...]

Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or in Latin. This week’s word is the latter. 
Written by: Kimberly Brandt
Ex parte is a Latin phrase which, translated literally, means “from the part.” In the legal world, motions or proceedings are held ex parte when only one of the parties is [...]

Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or may save you half your life savings after a Valentine’s Day gone bad. This week’s word is the latter.
Written by: Darci G. Van Duzer
We all know how romantic movies end-the happy couple lives together in wedded bliss to the end [...]

Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or strikes the very foundations of our belief system. This week’s word is the latter.
Written by: Steve Glista
John thinks he saw brake lights before the impact. Mary knows that the light was yellow but the Impala didn’t slow down. John [...]

Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or is an unmentioned consequence of voting. This week’s word is the latter.
Written by: Amy E. Seely
In the United States, voir dire, which translates to “to speak the truth” in Old French, refers to the process of questioning and selecting jurors to [...]

Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or can be substituted for “Abracadabra!” when performing stage illusions. This week’s word is the latter.
Written by: Jeff W. Richards
Void ab initio (literally: void from the beginning) is a latin phrase that frequently appears in certain types of legal argument. While [...]

Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or pretentiously tossed about. This week’s word is the latter.
Written by: Amy E. Seely
The term “esquire,” or Esq. as it is commonly abbreviated, has evolved considerably over its six centuries of existence, and today is one of the many relics of [...]

Each week we select a legal term or phrase that’s commonly misunderstood, interesting, or could prove a matter of life-or-death to our readers (perhaps in some sort of deadly legal-trivia type situation).
Written by: Jeff W. Richards
An affirmative defense is a legal strategy used by defendants in which they admit to the case against them, but [...]