Alternative pleading is a form of pleading that allows a party to allege two or more claims which are inconsistent with each other. Alternative pleading is fundamental to the United States court system.
During a lawsuit...
courts and procedure
amend
To amend is to make a change by adding, subtracting, or substituting. For example, one can amend a statute, a contract, the United States Constitution, or a pleading filed in a lawsuit. Generally, procedures dictate the way in which one...
amicus curiae
Amicus Curiae literally translated from Latin is "friend of the court." Plural is "amici curiae."
Generally, it is referencing a person or group who is not a party to an action, but has a strong interest in the matter....
amount in controversy
Amount in controversy refers to the amount of money a plaintiff seeks in a lawsuit. The monetary value of a non-monetary remedy such as an injunction can also be included in the amount in controversy. For a case to be heard in district court...
anchor
An anchor refers to a reference point. For the purposes of the law, anchors are frequently utilized by lawyers in litigation to persuade the jury through a process called anchoring.
Anchoring, or anchoring bias as it's also...
anchoring
In negotiations, “anchoring” refers to the common tendency of giving undue weight to the first value or number put forth, and to then inadequately adjust from or counter the first value or number, or the “anchor.”
Thus the...
ancillary jurisdiction
Ancillary jurisdiction allows a federal court to hear a claim that would normally be outside of its subject-matter jurisdiction if it is substantially related to a second claim that is within the court's jurisdiction. A claim comes within a...
answer
An answer is a reply to a question or a solution to a problem.
In law, an answer refers to a defendant’s first formal written statement to a plaintiff’s initial petition or complaint. This opening written statement will...
anti-contact rule
The anti-contact rule, also known as rule 4.2 of professional conduct, is a rule prohibiting lawyers from discussing subject matter of any case they’re working on with someone the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter...
anticipatory warrant
An anticipatory search warrant is a warrant that is based on an affidavit that shows probable cause that evidence of a particular crime (such as forged checks) will be at a specified location at some time (however not presently) in the future...