You are welcome to take a look at www.legalenglish.co.uk/the-blog. It is maintained and regularly updated by a large group of Legal English and Business English teachers. This page will help you with that by giving you a vocabulary list about the law and areas of law. The vocabulary on this page will let you know and understand what happens if someone commits a crime or if you have to go to court. All items in the vocabulary list have a definition so you know what they mean. Then there are vocabulary flashcards that you can download and use when you`re offline. After that, the ESL legal vocabulary was spoken and recorded by a native English speaker so that you could hear the correct pronunciation. The recording is included in two forms: first in the form of a simple transcoding that you can listen to, and then in the form of a video showing the memory cards as the words are spoken. Charge: Pretending someone did something, often something illegal. (verb) Accused: A person accused of doing something.
(name) Acquittal: Saying that a person is not guilty and has not committed a crime. (verb) Lawyer: A lawyer who pleads in court for a particular side of a case. (name) Allegation: Saying that someone may have done something, but it hasn`t been proven. (verb) Appeal: Attempting to overturn a court judgment. (verb) Court of Appeal: A special court where appeals are heard. (name) Arrest: When a police officer takes away someone who has committed a crime. (name) Arson: Setting something on fire illegally. (name) Bodily harm: Physically attacking another person. (verb) Bailiff: A clerk who enforces the judge`s orders. (name) Prohibition: To prevent someone from doing anything for a period of time. (name) Lawyer: An experienced lawyer who works in higher or larger courts.
(name) Bank (1): If the judge sits in a court. (name) Chamber (2): A collective term for all the judges of a court. (name) Breaking the law: Doing something that is not allowed by the law of that country. (verb) Bribery: Giving something (usually money) to get an advantage. (name) Burglary: To steal something from a building or vehicle. (name) Capital punishment: The use of the death penalty for certain crimes. (name) Case: A single point that takes place within a court. (name) Charge: Officially claiming that a person has broken the law. (verb) Civil law: Rules that relate to the leadership of a country or state. (name) Committing a crime: doing something illegal. (verb) Compensate: Give something (often money) to compensate for criminal damage.
(verb) Convicted: Declaring a person guilty of a crime. (name) Clerk: The person who ensures the proper functioning of a court, the person who keeps court records. (name) Courtroom: The place where cases are heard by a judge. (name) Criminal law: The rules relating to offences and the punishment of criminal offences. (name) Criminal: A person who has been convicted by a court of law. (name) Death penalty: Killing someone as a form of punishment for committing a crime. (name) Defence lawyer: A lawyer who explains why a person did not commit the crime or why they are innocent. (name) Defense: The argument why someone is innocent. (name) Defendant: The person accused of committing a crime.
(name) Dock: The place where the accused sits during the trial. (name) Drunk driving: The crime of driving a vehicle after drinking alcohol. (name) Drug Trafficking: The crime of selling illegal drugs. (name) Embezzlement: The crime of stealing money that belongs to someone else but for which you were responsible. (name) Evidence: Material and information used in a legal proceeding to prove innocence or guilt. (name) Expert witness: Someone who knows a lot about a subject and is called to testify. (name) Felony: A Serious Crime (American English). (name) Fine: Giving money as punishment for committing a crime. (name) Foreman: The head of a jury and the person speaking on his or her behalf. (name) False: The crime of doing something and pretending it`s something else. (name) Fraud: The crime of using false information to obtain something. (name) Guilty: Be found guilty.
(adjective) High Court: The most important court in a country (British English). (name) Hijacking: The crime of taking a vehicle with people on board and forcing it to drive somewhere. (name) Murder: The crime of intentionally killing someone (the same as murder) (American English). (name) Illegal: Something that is not permitted by the laws of a country. (adjective) Imprisonment: Putting someone in jail as punishment for committing a crime. (verb) Charge: Formally accusing someone of committing a crime. (verb) Innocent: To prove that you are not guilty, that you did not commit the crime. (adjective) Judge: The person who decides the sentence that will be imposed on a person convicted of committing a crime. (name) Jury: A group of 12 people who listen to the evidence in a case and then decide whether the accused is guilty. (name) Jury Room: The room where the jury goes to review the evidence and reach a verdict. (name) Justice: A situation in which a guilty person has been punished. (name) Minor: A person who is not an adult and who is often dealt with by special courts.
(name) Abduction: The crime of kidnapping a person and demanding money to return them. (name) Law: The rule or rules that govern how people should behave. (name) Lawsuit: A lawsuit brought by an individual, not public servants. (name) Lawyer: A person who studies and practices law. (name) Legal: Is bound and subject to the law. (adjective) Magistrate: A less qualified judge who deals with minor offences. (name) Manslaughter: The crime of accidentally killing someone. (name) Misdemeanor: A Less Serious Crime (American English).