Obiter dicta literally means “said by the way” or “statements made in passing” and the phrase describes statements, remarks or observations made by a Judge in a ruling that are tangential or supplementary in deciding the case. holding More information on the words discussed in…
In camera literally means “in a chamber”, but lawyers usually use this Latin phrase in the context of court cases or portions of cases that are conducted in private. in camera More information on the words discussed in the video, including sound files, examples of…
The Latin phrase ex post facto literally means “after the fact”. This phrase is usually used to refer to retroactive laws, i.e., laws which change the legal consequences of acts which were committed before the law was made. retroactive More information on the words discussed…
De minimus is a short for the Latin phrase de minimus non curat lex, which means that the law does not care about insignificant or trifling matters and is known as the de minimus doctrine. doctrine More information on the words discussed in the video,…
Ex officio is a Latin phrase that literally means from office or by virtue of one’s office. Be careful not to confuse it with sua sponte, on one’s own motion. For example, “The judge dismissed the case sua sponte and not on motion of one…
What is an affidavit? Basically, an affidavit is a written statement that you swear is true and can be used as evidence. Although the phrase sworn affidavit is often used, it is redundant since an affidavit is by its very nature a sworn document. affidavit…
Bona fide means good faith and it’s an extremely important concept in the law. It generally connotes something that is genuine or lawful and a mental state of honesty or truth. In modern English usage, bona fide is also a synonym for credentials or background…
Disclose, expose and divulge which all refer to making something visible which had previously not been visible disclose divulge expose More information on the words discussed in the video, including sound files, examples of usage, common mistakes and encyclopaedic information, can be found in TransLegal’s…
Qualify and qualification can be used a number of ways: Qualified to vote. A qualified majority. Well qualified. Qualify as a solicitor. An unqualified legal opinion. The qualifications needed. What do these expressions mean? qualified More information on the words discussed in the video, including…
Effective and efficient mean having effect but they have very different applications. The word effective means having a high degree of effect. In contrast, efficient means to be able to bring about a result without wasting too much time or money. effect More information on…
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