LegalandLawIdioms.doc

1、1Legal & Law Idiomsafter the fact- after something (a crime etc.) has occurredWe were told, after the fact, that the company would not pay compensation to the fire victims. an act of God- an event or accident due to natural causes for which no human is responsible and which could not have been avoid

2、ed by planning ahead (a storm, an earthquake, a volcano etc.)The insurance company refused to pay the money because they said that the forest fire was an act of God. assemble a case (against someone)- gather the evidence needed to make a legal case against someoneThe prosecution was unable to assemb

3、le a case against the man. assume liability- accept the responsibility for paying the cost of somethingThe business refused to assume liability for the dangerous products. at arms length- at a distance, a transaction in which each person (who is not related to you) acts in their own self-interest2We

4、 purchased the property at arms length and were not involved in any management decisions. bail (someone) out- pay a sum of money that allows someone to get out of jail while waiting for a trialThe family of the accused criminal paid much money to bail him out. beyond a reasonable doubt- a legal phra

5、se meaning that something is almost certainThe judge sent the man to jail because he believed, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he had committed the crime. bona fide- “in good faith“ (from Latin), without any element of dishonesty or fraudThe mediator asked the two sides in the dispute to make a bona

6、 fide effort to solve the dispute. a breach of promise- the breaking of a promise which may also be a breach of contractThe couple was accused of breach of promise when they broke the contract to buy the condominium. a breach of the peace- causing a disturbance, violent or disorderly behaviorThe man

7、 was charged with breach of the peace when he began fighting with the store clerk. 3break the law- fail to obey the lawThe woman was forced to quit her job after it was discovered that she had broken the law. build a case (against someone)- gather the evidence needed to make a legal case against som

8、eoneThe legal team was working hard to build a case against the suspected car thief. burden of proof- the necessity to prove a disputed fact as required by the laws of evidenceThe burden of proof during the trial fell on the man who had accused his employee of theft. (do something) by the book- foll

9、ow all the rules when you do somethingOur lawyer is very good and he does everything by the book. a case of mistaken identity- incorrectly identify someoneThe young man was arrested in a case of mistaken identity. causing a disturbance- an offence committed by fighting/screaming/shouting/swearing or

10、 being drunk in publicSeveral of the fans were arrested for causing a disturbance after the football game. 4caveat emptor- “let the buyer beware“ (from Latin), a buyer of something is responsible to examine the goods that he or she has purchasedCaveat emptor is a good concept to remember when you ar

11、e buying a used car. to cease and desist- a legal phrase which means to stop doing something and not start again - often used in the form of a cease and desist orderThe womans husband was given a cease and desist order to stop bothering her. circumstantial evidence- indirect evidenceMy court case wa

12、s difficult to win as most of my evidence was circumstantial evidence. citizens arrest- an arrest which may be made by somebody without a warrant when somebody commits a crimeThe local politician tried to make a citizens arrest of the violent beggar. civil action- legal action that deals with privat

13、e or civil mattersThe couple decided to take civil action over their complaints about their neighbors dog. civil law- the area of the law which deals with civil/private matters such as violations of contracts (different from criminal law)5The lawyer had much experience in civil law and almost none i

14、n criminal law. class action lawsuit- a lawsuit on behalf of a group of persons in a similar situation or who have suffered a similar wrongThe workers filed a class action lawsuit against the company for damage to their health. come by (something) honestly- get something honestlyThe woman came by a

15、large amount of money honestly but many people wondered where it had come from. come clean (with someone/about something)- be completely honest with someone or confess something to someoneThe man decided to come clean with the police and he confessed everything about the crime. commercial law- the a

16、rea of law that governs commerce/trade/merchandisingThe lawyer has specialized in commercial law since he first became a lawyer. common law- the law that is not written in statutes but is based on custom and court decisions of the past (most often with its origin in the old unwritten law of England)

17、Through research into previous cases of common law we were able to make a decision on how to proceed with our case. 6common property- real property owned by a group of tenants in a condominium or subdivision which everyone has the right to use, land that is owned by the government which everyone can

18、 useThe bicycles were common property and anyone in the apartment complex could use them. community property- property belonging jointly to a married couple or acquired during their marriageThe couple decided to divide some of their community property and give it to their children before they left t

19、o do volunteer work overseas. comparitive negligence- in a civil lawsuit where the fault (negligence) of the two parties is taken into account in assessing damagesThe judge determined that it was a case of comparative negligence and the landlord and the tenant were both forced to pay damages. conclu

20、sive evidence- evidence that is so strong that it proves the point in question beyond reasonable doubtThe witness offered conclusive evidence that led to the conviction of the criminal. conditional sale- a contract where the title to the goods being sold will not go to the purchaser until a certain

21、condition is fulfilledThe sale of the house was a conditional sale and I had to talk to my bank manager before the deal was complete. 7consecutive sentences- sentences that are given to someone and which run one immediately after anotherThe criminal was given three consecutive sentences for the murd

22、er of the young girls. contempt of court- disobedience of the orders and authority of the court, disrespect for the court processThe judge ordered the man to be held in contempt of court when he was several hours late for the trial. crack down on (someone or something)- enforce a rule or law more st

23、rictlyThe police recently decided to crack down on speeding cars. criminal law- the law that is concerned with crimes by people against the state/society with the function to punish the offenderThe university law department had one of the best criminal law libraries in the country. dangerous offende

24、r- a person who has been convicted of a violent or sexual crime and is a continuimg threat to othersSeveral dangerous offenders escaped from the prison last week. disorderly conduct8- disturbing the peaceThe football fans were charged with disorderly conduct after the fight during the game. disturbi

25、ng the peace- disorderly/violent /threatening conduct, an interruption of the peace and tranquillity of the communityTwo men were arrested for disturbing the peace when they got into a fight in front of the shopping mall. draw up an agreement/contract- put something into writing, prepare a written s

26、tatementI spent several hours with my lawyer trying to draw up an agreement to buy the small business. due process (of law)- the rights that each individual has to be protected by the lawAlthough the man was accused of theft by his employer, he knew that he was entitled to due process of law and wou

27、ld have no problems proving his innocence. examination for discovery- an oral examination that is taken under oath in which each side to a lawsuit has the right to examine the other sides witnesses before a trial or hearingThe man spent several hours in an examination for discovery session in connec

28、tion with his case. expert witness- an expert or specialist whose opinions are used as evidence in a trial or hearingThe lawyer called in an expert witness to discuss the handwriting of the accused man. 9extenuating circumstances- special circumstances that explain an irregular or improper way of do

29、ing somethingBecause of extenuating circumstances, the man was able to avoid going to jail for stealing the money. false arrest- unlawful physical detentionIt was a case of false arrest when the man was arrested as a suspect in the robbery. false pretenses- intentionally misrepresent facts to cheat

30、or defraud someoneThe woman was acting under false pretenses when she went to the bank and asked for a loan. false witness- a person who deliberately offers inaccurate evidenceThe man was accused of being a false witness after he testified at the trial. fee simple- absolute title or ownership of rea

31、l estateThe property was sold fee simple by the woman. for cause- reasons which the law accepts as justifiedThe man was fired from his job for cause after several violations of his contract. 10free and clear- own something fully with no money owed or other restrictions on the item or propertyMy pare

32、nts own their home free and clear. give notice- inform an employer, employee, landlord or tenant that a contractual agreement will endThe woman gave notice that she will leave her job next month. go into effect- a law or rule becomes effective or in useThe new parking law will go into effect at midn

33、ight. go legit- begin a legitimate (honest) business after having been operating an illegal businessThe brothers decided to go legit and get the proper licenses for their small business. go on record- make an official statement rather than an informal oneThe mayor of the city plans to go on record as being opposed to the new convention center. goods and chattels- personal property (as opposed to land and buildings)