Vocabulary development (LAW)
| VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT REGISTER OF LAW Register are technical words used in different human occupations. They are the basic vocabularies in different occupations. There is no occupation that does not have its vocabularies. For instance in the teaching profession there are vocabularies like: blackboard, lesson, students etc. We’ll discuss some of the vocabularies used in the LAW COURT. A law court is a place where legal matters are decided by a judge and jury or by a magistrate. Synonyms: tribunal, court, the bar, the bench. These are some of the vocabularies used in the court. Courtroom Vocabularies Accuse To accuse someone is to declare that someone committed a crime. It’s often used in the passive voice, to describe the state of someone who is accused or was accused of something. He was accused of stealing the woman’s wallet. Advocate A legal adviser or professional who pleads on behalf of the accused in court. The advocate asked for her immediate release from jail. Appeal To apply to a higher court to change a judge’s decision. The judge’s decision is unreasonable. Let’s make an appeal. Arrest To take someone who supposedly did something illegal into police custody. My sister was arrested last night. I wonder what she did! Barrister A specialized lawyer. They asked a barrister to give the defendant some advice. Capital punishment Also known as the “death penalty,” when the guilty person is sentenced to death. The prosecutor wanted capital punishment for the defendant who had killed three people. Charge To formally accuse someone of a crime. The police charged him with murder this morning. Case Legal action—something that should be decided on in court. The police had built a strong case against the robber. Civil law The law that’s not criminal law. She practices civil law and spends most of her time helping people get divorced. Convict Someone who has been found guilty of a crime and is serving a jail sentence. My uncle is a convict. He has to serve three more years in jail. Courtroom The room where the judge hears cases. We need to be in the courtroom in 10 minutes. Criminal law The law that punishes criminals and people who break the law. She practices criminal law. Right now she’s working on a robbery case. Defendant The person who has been accused of a crime. The defendant is accused of stealing this woman’s car. Defense Attorney The lawyer who argues for the defendant. I’m not going to jail. I’ve hired the best defense attorney in the city. Deposition Giving sworn evidence, usually written or spoken. She gave her deposition last week. We will use it in court today. Evidence The material that indicates whether someone is guilty of a crime. There is not enough evidence to convict him. Fine An amount of money that you need to pay when you break a small law. I got a parking ticket and had to pay a fine. Guilty Describes the person who committed a crime. After a criminal trial, someone is “found guilty” or “found innocent” (see below). He was found guilty and will have to go to jail. Illegal Against the law. It is illegal to drive through a red light. Innocent Not guilty of a crime. She was found innocent and can go home. Judge The person who makes the final decision in a legal case. My cousin is a judge. She decides several small cases every week. Jury The group of citizens in a criminal trial who decide whether a person is guilty or not guilty of the crime they’re accused of. Several English-speaking countries have jury trials, but they can look significantly different in different countries. Some English-speaking countries, such as South Africa, have no jury trials. The jury took only one hour to find the defendant guilty. Lawyer Someone who studied and practices law. My firm has 10 lawyers on staff, including contract lawyers, a criminal lawyer and a couple of civil law lawyers. Misdemeanor Illegal behavior that’s not considered extremely serious. Usually the guilty party is charged a fine. She had to pay a fine for vandalism, which is a misdemeanor in this city. Parole The early release of someone from jail, often for good behavior, before the end of their prison sentence. He was granted parole three years before his actual prison sentence would have ended. Plea The defendant’s response of either “guilty” or “innocent” for a crime they’re accused of. He didn’t steal anything, so he will plead not guilty. Prosecutor The lawyer trying to put the defendant in jail. Be prepared. The prosecutor will ask you many questions. Subpoena A formal order to appear in court. I was subpoenaed and will have to go to court next week to give my testimony. Sue To start legal procedures against someone in order to get compensation or payment for damages or wrongdoing. After he got injured, he decided to sue his boss over the unsafe work environment. Take the stand To sit or stand in the courtroom and tell the judge about the crime. Witnesses and defendants can “take the stand.” She was nervous, but she took the stand and answered all the prosecutor’s questions. Testify To give evidence as a witness in the courtroom for or against the defendant. I had to testify as a witness to the crime. Testimony A written or spoken statement about the crime or offense. He gave testimony to support the defendant’s innocence. Verdict The final decision in the courtroom as to whether or not the defendant is guilty or innocent. She read the final verdict: innocent! Warrant An official document instructing the police to arrest someone. You may also often hear the term “search warrant,” which gives the police permission to search someone’s property for evidence. There’s a warrant out for his arrest. Witness A person who saw the crime taking place and must describe what they saw or heard in the courtroom. There were several witnesses to the theft. These are the list of crimes that are brought to the law courtroom Forgery Producing a false copy of a signature, document, money or artwork. Forgery can also be used as a noun to refer to the fake document. It was an excellent forgery. It took the company days to realize the signature was a fake. Fraud Deception in order to gain money. She was convicted of fraud. She’d been making replica paintings and selling them as the real thing. Kidnapping Transporting or holding someone in a location against their will. He was trying to kidnap the child but the police stopped him as he was driving away. Murder Intentionally killing someone. He murdered his neighbor for playing his music too loud. Negligence Not taking proper care of something. He drove his car onto the sidewalk. No one was hurt, so he was charged with negligence. Perjury Lying after taking an official oath to tell the truth. He committed perjury in the courtroom and will have to face the consequences. Rob The action of stealing from someone or some place. A man robbed the house next door last month and now every house in the neighborhood has a security system. Shoplifting Stealing items from a store or shop. He was caught on camera shoplifting a soda and some chips. Trespass To go somewhere where you aren’t allowed to go. He was trespassing on my father’s property so I called the police. Vandalism The deliberate destruction of property. She was charged with vandalism for spray painting the side of the office building. I’m pretty sure you’ve got enough vocabularies that will help in this exercise. Choose the correct definition for the legal vocabulary in this quiz. 1) What is the definition of Appeal? A) A collective name for all the judges within a court. B) To claim someone did something, often something illegal. C) To try to reverse the judgment of a court. D) To officially claim that a person broke the law. 2) What is the definition of Convict? A) A court worker who enforces the judge’s orders. B) The place where cases are heard by a judge. C) To state that someone if guilty of a crime. D) To give something (normally money) to get an advantage. 3) What is the definition of Evidence? A) A person who has been convicted by a court. B) The argument as to why someone is innocent. C) The crime of selling illegal drugs. D) The material and information that is used in a court case to show innocence or guilt. 4) What is the definition of Illegal? A) Something that is not allowed by the laws of a country. B) A situation where a guilty person has been punished. C) A person who is not an adult and is often dealt with in special courts. D) To be found to have committed a crime. 5) What is the definition of Prison sentence? A) The time that a criminal has to spend in prison. B) The crime of taking something from a shop without paying. C) To act without proper care for the consequences. D) The crime of lying while promising not to lie. Choose the word that matches the definition given in each of the five questions in this quiz. 1) What is the meaning of the following definition: A person who is believed to have committed a crime? A) Suspect B) Victim C) Solicitor D) Testify 2) What is the meaning of the following definition: A person who catches criminals and stops crimes being committed? A) Offence B) Police office C) Shoplifting D) Prison 3) What is the meaning of the following definition: The leader of a jury and the person who speaks for them? A) Guilty B) Foreperson C) Judge D) Hijack 4) What is the meaning of the following definition: The place where cases are heard by a judge? A) Convict B) Death penalty C) Evidence D) Courtroom 5) What is the meaning of the following definition: A senior lawyer that works in higher or more important courts? A) Allege B) Arson C) Barrister D) Charge Identify the best description for each of the images (A-E) given above that correspond to the five questions in this quiz. You will get it from the pictures I’ll send. 1) Which description best describes picture A given above? A) Burglary B) Case C) Criminal D) Assault 2) Which description best describes picture B given above? A) Expert witness B) Judge C) Dock D) Defence attorney 3) Which description best describes picture C given above? A) Felony B) Jury C) Police officer D) Homicide 4) Which description best describes picture D given above? A) Lawyer B) Kidnap C) Offence D) Perjury 5) Which description best describes picture E given above? A) Take the stand B) Vandalism C) Violate D) Murder |