Across
- 2. Fee: the fee paid to an attorney based on a percentage of the sum a client is awarded or settled for in a lawsuit
- 4. Government: a basic principle of our constitutional system that limits government to powers provided to it by the people
- 6. Bargain: in a criminal case, the negotiation between the prosecutor, defendant and defendant's attorney
- 7. for Cause: a part of the jury selection, attorneys may request the removal of jurors they don't think we'll be fair and impartial
- 10. a procedure in which issues are voted on directly by the citizens rather than their representatives
- 12. a Reasonable Doubt: the level of proof needed to convict someone of a crime
- 13. Decisis: the rule stating that precedent must be followed providing the legal system with stability and predictability
- 14. Dire: ”to speak the truth”, the screening process in which opposing lawyers question prospective jurors to ensure a favorable or fair jury
- 15. written laws enacted by by legislators
- 18. Opinion: in a trial or appeal, the written opinion of the minority of judges who disagree with the majority's decision
- 20. a criminal offense punishable by a year or less in prison
- 23. Review: the process courts use to decide whether laws passed by Congress or state legislators are Constitutional
- 25. a mutual agreement between both sides of a civil lawsuit, made before the case goes to court or before final judgment, ends or settles the dispute
- 27. to take away an attorney's license to practice law because of illegal or unethical conduct
- 28. Challenges: part of the pre-trial jury selection, attorneys may dismiss a certain number of jurors without reason, without racial discrimination
- 30. of Rights: the first 10 amendments to the Constitution that guarantee basic individual rights to U.S. citizens
- 31. the state or federal government's attorney in a criminal case
- 33. of Evidence: the standard of proof used in a civil suit, in which one party must provide more compelling evidence than the other
- 36. of Checks and Balances: a system that allows each branch of government to amend or veto acts of another so no one branch holds all the power
- 37. System: the judicial system used in the US, it allows parties to present their legal conflicts before an impartial judge and jury
- 38. in a civil case, the person who brings legal action against the alleged wrongdoer
- 39. Rights: basic privileges a person has as a human being
- 40. a criminal offense punishable by more than a year in prison
Down
- 1. a trial attorney, barrister
- 3. Malpractice: a lawsuit against a lawyer for loss or injury to a client because of the lawyer's failure to meet acceptable standards of practice
- 5. the person against whom a claim is made
- 8. Intent: what the lawmakers who passed a law wanted it to mean
- 9. Opinion: an additional written Court opinion where the judge or judges agree with the court's decision but for different reasons
- 11. for Certiorari: a formal application of a party to have a lower court decision reviewed by the Supreme Court
- 16. Clause: the provisional in Article 6 of the Constitution stating that U.S. law and treaties must be followed even if state or local laws disagree
- 17. an advantage, right to preferential treatment, or excuse from a duty others must perform, a right that cannot be taken away
- 19. of Powers: a division of power within the branches of government
- 21. System: a European method for handling disputes in which the judge plays an active role in gathering and presenting evidence and questioning witnesses
- 22. the legal process in which one country or state asks another to surrender a suspected or convicted criminal
- 24. the study of law
- 26. influencing or persuading legislators to take action and introduce a bill or vote a certain way on a proposed law
- 29. a down payment made by a client hiring an attorney to act on his or her behalf
- 32. the division of powers between the states and the federal government
- 34. a court decision on a legal question that provides guidance for future cases with similar questions
- 35. of Law: a mistake made by a judge in legal proceedings or rulings during a trial that might allow the case to be appealed