Legal Jargon

A Court decision whereby one party in a case is ordered to pay the other’s legal fees.

Commonly referred to as “squatter’s rights”, Adverse Possesion is the occupation of land by a person that is not legally entitled to it, without permission of the owner and the means to acquire title to the land after an extended period of time (usually 12 years). A formal application must be made to the Land Registry to acquire title.

A formal written declaration made under oath, the contents of which carry the same weight as sworn statements made in Court. If the contents of an affidavit are proven to be false then the person who provided the affidavit may be held in contempt of Court, which can carry significant penalties.

This is an insurance policy that covers your legal expenses and losses in the event of an injury or loss. As the name suggests, this is an insurance policy that is taken out after the loss or injury to provide cover for legal costs incurred in litigation or arbitration.

Additional damages potentially awarded as a result of the defendant’s conduct. Aggravated damages are generally awarded to compensate the claimant for the additional harm that has been suffered.

The court process by which a judge decides which procedural ‘track’ a claim belongs to. See also Fast track, Intermediate Track or Multi-track.

The procedural ‘track’ for claims with a value between £5,000 – £25,000.

The document that is sent to the Court by the defendant to a civil claim to acknowledge receipt of the claim and to confirm whether they intend to dispute all or part of the claim.