| A | B |
|---|
| retainer | down payment on your total legal fee |
| contingency fee | percentage of whatever amount a client is awarded |
| privilege | conversations between attorney and client are confidential |
| tribal courts | Native American legal system that govern on reservations |
| voir dire | process of questioning prospective jurors |
| dissenting opinion | written opinion of judges who disagree with the majority opinion |
| concurring opinion | written opinion of judges who agree with the majority decision but for different reasons |
| appeals court | opportunity for a second judgment or opinion on a court case from a higher court |
| plea bargain | pretrial agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant in a criminal case |
| trial courts | listen to testimony, consider evidence, and decide the facts in a contested matter |
| plaintiff | the party who brings, or initiates a legal action |
| prosecutor | the state or federal government in a criminal case |
| defendant | party being sued in a criminal or civil case |
| adversarial | basis of legal system in the U.S. |
| arbitration | parties to a dispute allow a third party to listen to their arguments and make a binding decision |
| mediation | parties to a dispute allow a third person to listen to their dispute and help them try to resolve their differences |
| negotiation | process by which parties to a dispute discuss their problem and try to find a solution acceptable to all |
