| A | B |
|---|
| ipso facto | by the fact itself |
| persona non grata | an unwelcome person |
| prima facie | at first sight (face) |
| ab initio | from the beginning |
| absolvo | I acquit |
| sine die | without a day (set for reconvening) |
| ad hoc | to this (purpose) -used for temporary committees which serve a particular purpose and are then disbanded |
| ad litem | to the lawsuit-for the purposes of a single lawsuit |
| sui generis | of one's own kind-unique |
| res adjudicata | a thing having been decided-a matter which has been settled by a competent court |
| post mortem | after death |
| a posteriori | from what comes after-reasoning from facts to principals; inductive reasoning |
| a priori | from what comes before-reasoning in which consequences are deduced from principals that are assumed; deductive reasoning |
| a mensa et toro | from table and bed-a legal separation |
| amicus curiae | a friend of the court-a person not party to a lawsuit who gives advice to the court |
| a vinculo matrimonii | from the bond of marriage-an absolute divorce |
| ante bellum | before the war |
| bona fide | in good faith-genuine, done honestly |
| cadit quaestio | the question falls-the central idea of an argue or legal cases collapses |
| casus belli | cause of war-a justification for making war |
| caveat emptor | let the buyer beware |
| (causa) sine qua non | (a cause) without which not-a necessary item or condition |
| certiorari | to be made more certain-name given to a writ calling for a transcript from a lower court to a higher court |
| compos mentis | sound of mind-legally sane |
| non compos mentis | not sound of mind-legally insane |
| contra bonos mores | against good morals-against the best interests of society |
| coram iudice | before the judge |
| corpus iuris | body of law |
| cui bono | to whom for a benefit-who stands to gain |
| corrigenda | that which is to be corrected-items to be corrected |
| cum grano salis | with a grain of salt- with a bit of healthy scepticism |
| de facto | according to fact-in reality |
| de iure | according to law |
| deus ex machina | a god from a machine-an unlikely but timely intervention that resolves all difficulty |
| anno Domini | in the year of the Lord |
| annus mirabilis | a remarkable year |
| (argumentum) ad hominem | an appeal to feelings rather than intellect |
| e pluribus unum | one out of many |
| et al. | and others |
| et ux | and wife |
| in camera | in the room, chamber-in the judge's chambers or in the courtroom with public and press excluded |
| in aeternum | forever |
| in flagrante delicto | in blazing crime-caught red-handed |
| in extremis | at the point of death |
| in loco parentis | in the place of a parent |
| in re | in the matter of |
| per se | through itself-in and of itself |
| inter vivos | between the living-legal phrase that designates a gift given during the parties' lifetime |
| in toto | in the whole, entirely |
| mala fide | in bad faith |
| modus operandi | method of operating, the pattern a criminal follows |
| ne plus ultra | not more beyond-the ultimate; the highest attainable point |
| nolo contendere | I do not wish to contend-a plea made by a defendant who does not admit guilt but presents no defense against the charges |
| nunc pro tunc | now for then-a wage settlement that is retroactive |
| obiter dictum | having been said along the way (journey)-an incidental remark made by a judge that has no actual legal bearing |
| onus probandi | the burden of proving-the burden of proof |
| pendente lite | while the suit is pending-ablative absolute used as an ADVERB |
| lis pendens | a pending law suit-used as a NOUN |
| per annum | per year |
| per diem | per day |
| per capita | per heads-individually |
| post scriptum | after having been written-written afterwards |
| post partum | after childbirth |
| pro bono publico | for the public good-done without a fee |
| pro forma | for form-as a formality |
| quid pro quo | what for what-something for something; an exhange; sometimes said of a a plea bargain |
| qui tacet consentit | he who is silent consents-silence implies consent |
| rara avis | a rare bird-a rarity |
| res ipsa loquitur | the thing speaks for itself-the facts are obvious |
| (defunctus) sine prole | (dead) without issue (children)-said of one deceased with no children to serve as heirs |
| ultra vires | beyond the powers-acting beyond one's legal authority |
| habeas corpus | you may have the body-a legal doctrine that requires a person to be charged within a reasonable time or released |
| casus belli | cause of war |
| sui juris | of his or her own right, of full legal capacity |
| mandamus | we command-a type of writ ordering that something be done |
| per stirpes | per branch or stem |
| in terrorem | to the terror, for the purposes of frightening |
| stare decisis (et non quieta movere) | to stand on what has been decided-to stick with the legal precedent |
| ex officio | out of one's office, by virtue of holding an office |
| ex post facto | from after the fact-retroactively |
| in propria persona | in one's own person, representing one's self |
| corpus delicti | body of the crime-evidence that a crime has been commited |
