Henry Law Firm
Your guide to the law!
Some terms you should know before your case:
defendant- someone being sued in a court of law.
complaint- a statement that an action is unfair
summons- an order to appear in court before a judge
pleadings- the formal statement of the cause of an action or crime
pretrial conference- a meeting of the judge and the lawyers to discuss what information should be brought before the jury.
mediation- intervention in a dispute in order to resolve it
arbitration- the use of an arbitrator to settle a dispute.
trial- a formal examination of evidence before a judge.
preponderance of evidence- the greater weight of evidence required in a case for the judge to be in favor of one party over the other.
verdict- a decision on a civil case: guilty or not guilty
appeal- to apply to a higher court to reverse a lower court's decision