LAW FIRM OF CHELSEA CHRISTINE ORAM
To help you better understand the court system and process you are about to undergo, we have listed some of the terms you will hear frequently
The terms are below.
Plaintiff: is the party or parties that flies a complaint
Defendant: is the person who the complaint was flied on
Complaint: is the person who applies to the courts for legal relief by filing a complaint
Summons: is a court order that requires the defendant to appear in court and answer the complaint
Pleadings: is the paperwork that is filed with the court to respond to a lawsuit
Pretrial conference: is a conference that a witness is required to attend. This allows the witness to discuss the case
Mediation: is the intervention in a argument in order to resolve it
Arbitration: is when parties can choose a third party to listen and help decide the dispute
Trial: is the examination of a problem before it goes to court, if the case happens to be a criminal case then the defendant has to be proven guilty. This can take place in front of a judge and a jury or just a judge
Prepondenerance of evidence:
Verdict: is the decision of a court
Appeal: is when a case is carried to a higher court to see if the decison made in a lower court be changed or dropped