The A to Z guide to legal phrases

The language used in law is changing. Many lawyers are now adopting a plain English style. But there are still legal phrases that baffle non-lawyers. This guide is intended to help in two ways: it should help non-lawyers understand legal phrases; and it should give lawyers ideas for explaining the legal phrases that they use. The explanations in this guide are not intended to be straight alternatives. Although we hope the explanations will prompt lawyers to make sure they only use legal jargon where strictly necessary, our wording is there to explain ideas and concepts rather than to give strict legal definitions. The terms and explanations are for the law in England and Wales. This is very much a 'work in progress', and we welcome any corrections, clarifications or suggested additions