Legal Jargon

An agreement between solicitors, barristers and clients to defer payment of legal fees until a later date.

Any expenditure or costs that your solicitor incurs on your behalf and are payable to a third party (for example the Court, Tribunal, Land Registry or independent expert).

The formal process in legal proceedings where parties make available to the other side relevant documents on which their arguments are based, provided they are not protected by privilege, in which case they may not have to be shared.

A right attached to the title of a property such as a right of access over private lanes or paths, or rights to connect into services such as water pipes and cables. Easements may be benefits to a property and its owners, and they may also be considered to be burdens, example a right to situate a septic tank on a neighbour’s land and access it.

These outline the estimated likely costs of each stage of the court process and are usually filed by the parties in a prescribed form called a Precedent H. They are intended to provide transparency over court expense and a framework for the successful party to recover costs quickly at the end of the proceedings (see CMC or CCMC).

Another term for a barrister – the person(s) who represent you in court.

Where the Defendant brings a claim against the Claimant (usually when filing their Defence).

An application or ‘request’ asking the court to consider a case and make a judgement.

The course of action through which someone seeks to use the power of a court / tribunal to enforce a law or take legal action against another party.

Legal promises or obligations set out in the title deeds. Covenants may restrict how a property is used, for example, blocking its use for any purposes other than a residential dwelling, or obliging a title holder to undertake certain actions or expenditure on, for example, maintenance, or to make additional payments if planning consent is granted at some point in the future.