A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Click on the first letter of the word from the list above to go to the appropriate section of the glossary.

- L -

Lapsed gift - A gift made in a will to a person who has died prior to the will-makers death.

Larceny - Obtaining property by fraud or deceit.

Law - The combination of those rules and principles of conduct promulgated by legislative authority, derived from court decisions and established by local custom.

Law Blank - A printed legal form available for preparing documents.

Law Clerk - In the United States, usually a law school student employed by a law firm to do research and other tasks. In the courts, a lawyer (or law school student) employed to do legal research.

Lawsuit - An action or proceeding in a civil court; term used for a suit or action between two private parties in a court of law.

Leading question - A question that suggests the answer desired of the witness. A party generally may not ask one's own witness leading questions. Leading questions may be asked only of hostile witnesses and on cross-examination.

Legal aid - Professional legal services available usually to persons or organizations unable to afford such services.

Legal process - A formal paper that is legally valid; something issuing from the court, usually a command such as a writ or mandate.

Legal texts - Books that cover specific areas of the law, usually dealing with a single topic.

Legislation - The act of giving or enacting laws; the power to make laws via legislation in contrast to court-made laws.

Legitimate - That which is legal, lawful, recognized by law or according to law.

Leniency - Recommendation for a sentence less than the maximum allowed.

Letters of Administration - Legal document issued by a court that shows an administrator's legal right to take control of assets in the deceased person's name.

Letters Testamentary - Legal document issued by a court that shows an executor's legal right to take control of assets in the deceased person's name.

Liable - Legally responsible.

Libel - Published defamation which tends to injure a person's reputation.

Licensing boards - State agencies created to regulate the issuance of licenses, i.e., to contractors, cosmetologists, realtors, etc.

Lien - An encumbrance or legal burden upon property.

Limine - (See "in limine" in Foreign Words Glossary).

Limited Jurisdiction - Refers to courts that are limited in the types of criminal and civil cases they may hear. For example, traffic violations generally are heard by limited jurisdiction courts.

Litigant - A party to a lawsuit.

Litigation - A lawsuit; a legal action, including all proceedings therein.

Living trust - A trust set up and in effect during the lifetime of the grantor. (Also called inter vivos trust.)

Loose-leaf services -Loose-leaf replacement pages provided by a publisher in areas of the law where changes occur at a rapid rate.