Useful English Legal Vocabulary

Legal vocabulary can be particularly difficult, even if you are a native English speaker! If you are a lawyer or a judge this blog post is for you! Even if you don’t work in the legal field a lot of this vocabulary can be useful for everyday things, for example: signing contracts or renting property. In this post we are going to be learning some important legalese vocabulary.

Accuse

To claim that somebody has committed a crime or done something wrong.

• The man was accused of stealing a car.

Accessory

An accessory is somebody who is complicit or involved with a crime.

• Julie was an accessory to the crime, she helped the defendant steal the money.

Jury/Juror

A group of people who are randomly selected to provide an impartial verdict. A juror is a member of the Jury

• The jury finds the defendant guilty!
• My friend was a juror on a murder trial!

Precedent

An earlier example of something.

• By committing acts of vandalism he was setting a precedent for her future life of crime.

Contract

A legal document stating a promise.

• I signed the contract at my new job yesterday!

Accounts

A company or a person’s financial records.

• They are going through my accounts to find any tax discrepancies.

Acquit

To absolve somebody of a crime.

• Due to a lack of evidence the judge has acquitted the defendant.

Arrest

To legally detain somebody who has committed a crime.

• The criminal was arrested for stealing a car.

Courtroom

The room where court cases happen.

• The hearing will take place in the courtroom in the next 10 minutes.

Convict

To put a criminal in prison

• The thief was convicted for 10 years.

I hope you found this list helpful. Remember there are a variety of different ways to use each of these words.