Rhema's Law Firm
Guide For Preparing You For Court
Beginnners
Terminology
(person on right)
Defendant- the person being arrested and accused of a crime
(person on left)
ex: Plaintiff may claim that an individual is the one who stole from him or her while the defendant claims he or she wasn't the one who stole.
Complaint
ex: Tory files a complaint against her neighbor Jennifer for pulling out her driveway while she was turning in and Jennifer crashed into her car. As a result she received injuries in which she demands relief.
Summons
ex: A father is summoned to court by his ex-wife due to him lacking child support payments. The summons is sent to him and he must appear in court on the set date
Pleadings
the complaint and the answer combined in a civil case
ex: They state the parties' basic positions.
Pretrial Conference
ex: This conference helps improve the quality of the trial through more preparation and eliminating unnecessary elements.
Mediation
ex: A former couple meets with a mediator to discuss who will have their child and when.
Arbitration
ex: Max breaks Mrs. Bailey's window. Mrs. Bailey's wants compensation but doesn't want Max to have any criminal charges. They go to an arbiter who later decides Max will mow her lawn at a weekly rate of $10/week until the window is paid off.
ex: John damages property of his former girlfriend and must be put on trial.
Preponderance of Evidence
ex: In the case of Mary v Bob, 51% of the evidence favors Mary. Mary now has a preponderance of the evidence, has met their burden of proof, and will win the case.
Verdict
ex: The jury indicts Bill for stealing a car and finds him guilty. Finding him guilty is the verdict.
Appeal
ex: someone admits that evidence was gathered using unconstitutional means or giving the jury improper instructions.