Corey Sandler - Legal Words You Should Know: Over 1,000 Essential Terms to Understand Contracts, Wills, and the Legal System

Over 1,000 Essential Terms to Understand
Contracts, Wills, and the Legal System

LEGAL
WORDS
YOU SHOULD
KNOW

COREY SANDLER AND JANICE KEEFE,

bestselling authors of Performance Appraisal Phrase Book

Avon, Massachusetts

Copyright 2009 by Word Association, Inc.
All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any
form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are
made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by
Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59869-865-6
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-865-7
eISBN: 978-1-4405-1999-4

Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C B A

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the
American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

DEDICATION

TO OUR IN-LAWS

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THIS BOOK BEARS TWO NAMES AS AUTHOR, BUT IT WOULD not be in your hands without the assistance and encouragement of many others. Thanks to Andrea Norville at Adams Media. Thanks, too, to our legal eagle Ed Claflin who minds the ps and qs.

INTRODUCTION

WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF LAWS AND LEGALITIES, SWIMMING IN a sea of legalese.

Do you have a mortgage or a lease? Is there a credit card or two in your wallet or purse? How many checking, banking, or investment accounts do you have? Are you an addicted fan of CSI or Law and Order or the latest paperback legal thriller?

Or, do you have some legal problems of your own from traffic misdemeanors to estate issues to criminal charges? You would be non compos mentis to attempt to mount a legal defense without some level of understanding of the words that exist in the agreements we are asked to sign, the legal documents we are presented, the demands of an attorney or court.

We are not lawyers, and nearly all of the readers of this book have not gone to law school either. As professional writers, though, our goal is to provide a translation between the essential words of the law and finance into terms you can understand. The best use of this book is as a guide to learning the questions to ask as you try to navigate that sea of laws.

A

1040,noun

The standard form issued annually by the Internal Revenue Service for individuals to use in filing an income tax return.

Form1040includes provisions for taxpayers to list itemized deductionsand take advantage of various tax credits.

See also: 1040EZ

1040EZ,noun

An Internal Revenue Service form, similar to the 1040, simplified for use by taxpayers with lower income.

The IRS1040EZform is intended for taxpayers who do not make use ofitemized deductions or other elements that require more detailed reportingof information.

See also: 1040

1099,noun

An Internal Revenue Service form used to report various types of income other than wages.

Many taxpayers receive a1099-DIV form from companies or brokeragesthat have paid them dividends in the prior tax year. An SSA-1099 is aform issued by the Social Security Administration reporting benefits paidto individuals.

ABA number,noun

As developed by the American Banking Association, a routing code imprinted on checks and deposit slips that is used to direct electronic transfer of funds to and from accounts.

To enable direct deposit of a paycheck, the employer requires theABAnumberfor your bank as well as your account number at the bank.

See also: Routing transit number

Abandonment,noun, verb

To give up control of something, such as real or personal property. Or to give up responsibility for a person, such as leaving a spouse or a child.

Depending on the circumstances, in some situations theabandonmentof a child may rise to the level of a crime.

See also: Desertion

Abate (ah-BATE), verb

To end a problem.

State regulators reached an agreement with the company toabatethe dischargeof untreated waste into the municipal wastewater system throughthe installation of a private treatment plant at the factory.

See also: Abatement

Abatement (ah-BATE-mint), noun

(1) A reduction or end to a particular tax or fee. (2) Also, to lessen or mitigate the burden of a regulation on a person or business.

(1) The state legislature approved a bill giving taxabatementsto businessesthat build new facilities or add new jobs within the state. (2) Theparties agreed to anabatementof the zoning violation that called for thegradual reduction in the usage of the land for manufacturing and a changeto use for offices, over a period of five years.

See also: Abate

Abduction (ab-DUK-shun), noun

(1) The act of forcibly taking a person away. (2) Also applies to acts that allow someone to take a person away against their will through improper persuasion or fraud.

(1) Schilling was accused of the forcibleabductionof the woman fromthe bar where they met. (2) The prosecutor alleged that Gerschwin committedthe crime ofabductionwhen he misled the man into thinking hehad to come to the collection agency or face arrest.

See also: Kidnap

Abet (uh-BET), verb

To encourage, incite, or assist someone to commit a crime, violate a law, or perform an illegal act.

If you aid andabetsomeone in committing a crime or an illegal act, youcould put yourself in legal jeopardy.

See also: Accessory, Accomplice

Abeyance (a-BAY-ince), noun

(1) A condition of being temporarily unenforced, or (2) of being undetermined.

(1) The judge held enforcement of the law inabeyancepending review bya higher court. (2) Issuance of the title to ownership of the land was heldinabeyancewhile issues related to the estate were resolved.

See also: Stay

Abrogate (AB-ro-gate), verb

(1) To make null, or to repeal a law. (2) Also to revoke or withdraw an element of a contract.

(1) The legislatureabrogatedthe court case when it repealed the law