Category: C

Questioning of a witness by the attorney for the other side.

Trial by a judge, rather than by a jury.

A person who assists the judge and oversees cases as they go through the court.

A person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in court, generally by using a stenographic machine, shorthand or audio recording, and then produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.

Government entity authorized to resolve legal disputes. Judges sometimes use “court” to refer to themselves in the third person, as in “the court has read the briefs.”

A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff. Counterclaims can often be brought within the same proceedings as the plaintiff’s claims.

Legal advice; a term also used to refer to the lawyers in a case.

Decision by a judge to postpone trial until a later date.

A written statement that begins a civil lawsuit, in which the plaintiff details the claims against the defendant.

Property that is promised as security for the satisfaction of a debt.