Mediation means an amicable settlement of disputes. It is usually a win-win approach to settlement of disputes for the purpose of maintaining friendly relations among parties.

Breach of contract is a failure to perform any term of a contract.

The Latin term "corpus delicti" is normally used to denote a physical evidence of a crime. It is the evidence referring to the principle that a crime must be proved to have occurred before a person can be convicted of committing that crime, therefore, "corpus delicti" is one of the most important concepts in a murder investigation. A corpse in a murder case is an example for "corpus delicti".

It is a statement made under oath to show that a particular process of court has been served on the other party. This is usually prepared by a court bailiff.

See, affidavit.

Expert testimony is an oral or written testimony offered by an expert witness whose opinion about evidence or about facts may be considered by the judge.

For example, a pathologist may be invited in a case of murder to give evidence as to the cause of death of the deceased.

See, expert witness.

The Oughties refers to the decade between 2000-2009. The Oughties, the Aughties, the Aughts, or the Noughties, all are the terms stands for the years 2000-2009.

80s: The Eighties
90s: The Nineties
00s: The Noughties, The Aughts, The Aughties, The Oughties

iPods were pretty popular in the Oughties.

1. To do.
What are you up to on Sunday? (What are you doing on Sunday?)

2. Implies mischievous behavior.
What are the kids up to? They're hiding something.

3. To decide.
It's up to you (it's your decision).

See, also up to.

It is a situation that is beyond human control e.g. earthquake, outbreak of war etc. This kind of situations is recognized by law as capable of rendering the performance of a contract impossible in which case a breach of contract would not be ascribed to the fault of any party.

Some contract agreements take into consideration what effect a situation of force majeur, where it happens, will have on the outstanding obligations of the parties. This is a good practice.

In American football, encroachment is a penalty in which a defensive player is positioned in the neutral zone at the start of a play. (whether contact is made or not in High School)

In the NFL, when, prior to the snap of the football, a defensive player makes contact with an offensive player or has a direct path to the quarterback it is encroachment. The result of this penalty is 5 yards in the NFL and CFL against the defensive team.

Insolvency is a state (or condition) in which a person or company is unable to meet his or its financial obligations as they arise or unable to pay debts.

See, bankruptcy.

A postal address signifies a specific location in your town, city, neighborhood, apartment building, etc.

When addressing international mail, you may use the following USPS recommendations for addresses.

Use all capital letters with no more than 5 lines, including:
1. Addressee's name
2. Street address or P.O. box number
3. City or town, principal subdivision such as province, state, or county, and postal code. In some countries, the postal code may precede the city or town.
4. Country name

An example postal address in the U.S.:

MR JOHN SMITH
176, MY STREET,
SANTA MONICA, LOS ANGELES 90404
UNITED STATES

It is an official document issued by a court directed to a specific person in which the person is commanded to appear in court at a specified date and venue for the purpose of giving evidence in a case. Disobeying a witness summons constitutes a contempt of court which may be punished by the court.

A very large amount, exceedingly great. It is often used as "an awful lot of", similar to "a lot of" but it expresses "a huge amount" or "exceeding amount".

His wife has spent an awful lot of money on clothes these days.
He is a famous lawyer. He gets an awful lot of clients.

The term ademption may refer to the extinction of a legacy by the testator's revocation, or a situation where a gift in a will is no longer in existence at the time of death of a testator and a beneficiary of such gift will not be able to take the benefit of it because it has adeemed (i.e. failed).

The phrase "charge and bail" is commonly used derogatively to describe lawyers whose main pre-occupation is to loiter around courts' premises so as to enjoy the patronage of suspects who do not have their own lawyers.

Whenever these suspects are brought to court by the police, these lawyers solicit to appear for them so as to apply for their bail at some ridiculous amount. This practice of law is unethical and it does not paint the profession in a good light. A practice akin to this in the U.S is called “Ambulance Chasing” and lawyers who do it are referred to as “Ambulance Chasers”.

An interest rate is the percentage of principal that is charged as interest for its use by the lender. An interest rate is typically defined as an annual percentage of the borrowed principal and is calculated by dividing the amount of interest by the amount of principal.

Interest Rate = Amount of Interest / Principal
Amount of Interest = Interest Rate x Principal

For example, if the interest rate is %5 for $100,000 loan
Amount of Interest = (5 / 100) x 100,000 = $5,000 for each year.

Tangible is something that has physical presence. For example, a book is a tangible item, can be touched and physically felt.

See intangible.

To put a lot of effort into doing something.
He has tried really hard but he can't convince her to come.

It is the final decision of a court of law.
The defendant is now waiting for the judgement.

It is a denial of a confessional statement made prior to court proceedings by a suspect in the course of his trial.

By retraction, a suspect is saying he did not make a confessional statement which the prosecution claims to have been made by him at the police station.