Glossary

An acronym is a word or name composed of the first letters of each word of a title or description. For example, NATO is an acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. An initialism is an abbreviated name or description composed of the first letters of the full name or description, pronounced as a set of… Continue reading

Latin maxim meaning that a personal right of action dies with the person.… Continue reading

The failure of a gift under a will by reason of the fact that it does not, or has ceased to, exist. Such a gift is adeemed, and the intended beneficiary may get nothing instead.… Continue reading

A document setting out evidence which the witness providing it has sworn to be true in the presence of someone legally qualified to administer an oath.  … Continue reading

The person who brings an appeal in a civil or criminal case. An appellant’s notice is the document in which the appellant sets out why (the grounds on which) the decision of a lower court should be quashed (cancelled), reversed or varied (changed to a different decision) by the higher court.  … Continue reading

A system of alternative dispute resolution (ie resolution of a dispute otherwise than by a court) in which the disputing parties refer the matter to an arbitrator or a tribunal of arbitrators (usually 3) selected by a process determined in the arbitration agreement. An agreement to arbitrate (or arbitration clause) is often included in a… Continue reading

Once a costs order has been made, the court will need to decide how much should be paid to the successful (receiving) party by the other (paying) party. There are four elements to this: (1)  Summary assessment – for hearings of a day or less, a judge will generally consider a summary of costs prepared… Continue reading

ATE (After the Event) insurance is a form of litigation insurance that indemnifies the insured against the financial risk of losing a claim in proposed legal proceedings. The amount of the premium may be dependent on or proportional to the amount successfully recovered in the proceedings. Although it may enable litigants who could not otherwise… Continue reading

The Attorney General (AG) is the government’s chief law officer and legal adviser. The Attorney General’s Office is a government legal department, led by the AG and the Solicitor General (the Law Officers), which provides legal advice to the government and oversees four other departments: the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) the Serious Fraud Office (SFO)… Continue reading

The Australasian Legal Information Institute or AustLII is a free legal research database covering case law, legislation and other materials from Australia and New Zealand. It is part of the Free Access to Law Movement.   … Continue reading