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Terms
Immunity
An exemption that a person enjoys from the normal operation of the law such as a legal duty or liability, either criminal or civil.
Expanded Legal Definition of Immunity

Incorporeal
Legal rights which are intangible such as copyrights or patents.
Expanded Legal Definition of Incorporeal

Incorporeal Hereditament
An intangible right which is attached to property and which is inheritable.
Expanded Legal Definition of Incorporeal Hereditament

Indefeasible
A right or title in property that cannot be made void, defeated or canceled by any past event, error or omission in the title.
Expanded Legal Definition of Indefeasible

Indictable Offence
An offence which the government can opt to cause trial by a more formal process than by summary process.
Expanded Legal Definition of Indictable Offence

Indictment
The formal document by which the state sets out the claim that a person has committed a crime.
Expanded Legal Definition of Indictment

Infanticide
Murder of an infant soon after its birth.
Expanded Legal Definition of Infanticide

Injunction
A court order that prohibits a party from doing something (restrictive injunction) or compels them to do something (mandatory injunction).
Expanded Legal Definition of Injunction

In Limine
Latin: at the beginning or on the threshold.
Expanded Legal Definition of In Limine

In Pari Delicto
Latin: both parties are equally at fault.
Expanded Legal Definition of In Pari Delicto

In Personam
Latin: regarding a person; a right, action, judgment or entitlement that is attached to a specific person(s).
Expanded Legal Definition of In Personam

In Rem
Latin: regarding a thing; proprietary in nature; a right or judgment related to the use or ownership of an item of property.
Expanded Legal Definition of In Rem

Insolvent
A person not able to pay his or her debts as they become due.
Expanded Legal Definition of Insolvent

Inter Alia
Latin: 'among other things', 'for example' or 'including'.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inter Alia

Interim Order
A temporary court order; intended to be of limited duration, usually just until the court has had an opportunity of hearing the full case and make a final order.
Expanded Legal Definition of Interim Order

Interlineation
An addition of something to a document after it has been signed. Such additions are ignored unless they are initialed by the signatories and, if applicable, witnesses (eg. wills).
Expanded Legal Definition of Interlineation

Interlocutory
Housekeeping, procedural proceedings taken during the course of, and incidental to a trial.
Expanded Legal Definition of Interlocutory

Interlocutory Injunction
A temporary injunction; which lasts only until the end of the trial during which the injunction was sought.
Expanded Legal Definition of Interlocutory Injunction

Interloper
A person who, without legal right, runs a business (eg. without mandatory licenses), or who wrongfully interferes or intercepts another's business.
Expanded Legal Definition of Interloper

International Law
A combination of treaties and customs which regulates the conduct of states amongst themselves, and persons who trade or have legal relationships which involve the jurisdiction of more than one state.
Expanded Legal Definition of International Law

Inter Partes
Latin: between parties.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inter Partes

Intestate
Dying without a will.
Expanded Legal Definition of Intestate

Inter Vivos
Latin: from one living person to another living person.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inter Vivos

Inure
To take effect, to result; to come into operation.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inure

Islamic Law
The law according to the Muslim faith and as interpreted from the Koran.
Expanded Legal Definition of Islamic Law

Intellectual Property
Ethereal property; of the mind, intangible, with no corporeal existence.
Expanded Legal Definition of Intellectual Property

Inter Se
Latin: as between or amongst themselves.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inter Se

Insolence
Insulting a supervisor at the workplace or during the tenure of an employment contract.
Expanded Legal Definition of Insolence

Indemnity
Contract with a third-party to perform another's obligations if called upon to do so by the third-party, whether the other has defaulted or not.
Expanded Legal Definition of Indemnity

In Camera
A closed and private session of Court or some other deliberating body.
Expanded Legal Definition of In Camera

Insurance
Where a persons agrees, for consideration, to pay a certain amount on the occurrence of a specified event.
Expanded Legal Definition of Insurance

Internet
A global computer network through which the almost-instant delivery of data or files occurs between connected computers.
Expanded Legal Definition of Internet

Insubordination
Willful failure to obey a supervisor's lawful orders.
Expanded Legal Definition of Insubordination

Insanity
Disorder which impairs the human mind and prevents distinguishing between actions that are right or wrong.
Expanded Legal Definition of Insanity

Innocent Passage
A term of international law referring to a ship or aircraft's right to enter and pass through another's territory so long as it is not prejudicial to the peace, good order or security of the other state.
Expanded Legal Definition of Innocent Passage

Insider Trading
Participation by corporate officers, directors or employees in the trade of a stock based on confidential or privileged corporate information, knowing that information to be confidential, and seeking thereby to acquire profits or avoid losses on the stock market.
Expanded Legal Definition of Insider Trading

Indigent
A poor person; not penniless but in need and who has no financial support from any other.
Expanded Legal Definition of Indigent

Indigenous
Native to a particular territory.
Expanded Legal Definition of Indigenous

Impaired
A deterioration of an individual’s judgment and decrease in his or her’s physical ability. Used primarily in criminal law; driving under the influence of alcohol or disability law in regards to a person’s physical or mental impairment.
Expanded Legal Definition of Impaired

Intentional Tort
Torts actionable upon evidence of an intent to cause harm on another, such as assault, trespass, false imprisonment, private nuisance, defamation or invasion of privacy.
Expanded Legal Definition of Intentional Tort

Immovable
Land and fixtures thereto, civil law term.
Expanded Legal Definition of Immovable

IOU
Acronym for "I owe you"; a written acknowledgment of a debt.
Expanded Legal Definition of IOU

Indian
Nomenclature selected by Canada and USA to refer to and define their aboriginal or indigenous people.
Expanded Legal Definition of Indian

Invitee
A person invited, implicitly or explicitly, upon the real property of another.
Expanded Legal Definition of Invitee

Invitor
Relevant to occupiers' liability; a person who, implicitly or explicitly, invites another to a place.
Expanded Legal Definition of Invitor

Implied Trust
A trust that is imposed by law onto certain situations either by presuming an intention of the participants to create a trust, or simply because of the facts at hand.
Expanded Legal Definition of Implied Trust

Incest
The crime of sexual contact with a blood relative usually including a parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild.
Expanded Legal Definition of Incest

Invitation to Treat
An invitation to another person to make an offer to contract.
Expanded Legal Definition of Invitation to Treat

Inscrutable Fault
A judicial finding that a fault has occurred but the court is unable to locate the source, to pinpoint a tort-feasor.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inscrutable Fault

International Convention on Salvage, 1989
An international treaty which standardizes, for signatories, the rules related to salvage and the compensation thereof.
Expanded Legal Definition of International Convention on Salvage, 1989

Inchmaree Clause
A standard clause in maritime insurance contracts covering risk of events not directly linked to perils at sea such as, but not necessarily limited to, loading accidents.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inchmaree Clause

Industrial Design
A new product or packaging design, or some such ornamental feature, and eligible for intellectual property law exclusive-use protection.
Expanded Legal Definition of Industrial Design

In Loco Parentis
A person who, though not the natural parent, has acted as a parent to a child and may thus be liable to legal obligations as if he/she were a natural parent.
Expanded Legal Definition of In Loco Parentis

Indirect Tax
The passing on of a tax or duty by the person who first pays it, through subsequent transactions.
Expanded Legal Definition of Indirect Tax

International Commercial Arbitration
A commercial dispute subject to arbitration and in which a significant international elements exists such as, for example, the head offices of the disputants are different countries or the performance of the underlying contract is in a foreign state.
Expanded Legal Definition of International Commercial Arbitration

Identity Theft
The wrongful taking or using another person's identifying information for the purpose of fraud or other criminal activity.
Expanded Legal Definition of Identity Theft

In Terrorem
Latin: in terror, fright, threat or warning.
Expanded Legal Definition of In Terrorem

Innuendo
In defamation, the inferential, inherent or secondary meaning of words.
Expanded Legal Definition of Innuendo

Ignorantia Juris Non Excusat
Latin: ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ignorantia Juris Non Excusat

Ignorance of the Law
A mistake of law in relation to a person's rights or responsibilities.
Expanded Legal Definition of Ignorance of the Law

Intuitu Personae
Latin: Because of the person.
Expanded Legal Definition of Intuitu Personae

Inherent Jurisdiction
The residual, automatic and ex officio authority of a court of law to regulate proceedings before it including punishing contempt.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inherent Jurisdiction

Inchoate Offence
Acts which are criminal even though they precede harmful conduct.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inchoate Offence

Inchoate
A legal right or entitlement that is in progress and is neither ripe, vested nor perfected.
Expanded Legal Definition of Inchoate

Independent Contractor
A person hired by another not as an employee but, rather, pursuant to a contract for service where the engaging party does not supervise or control the detail of the work, and where the party engaged remains self-employed.
Expanded Legal Definition of Independent Contractor

Interrogatories
Pre-trial numbered and written questions on relevant matters to the litigation, sent to the other side of litigation, and for which reply is mandatory.
Expanded Legal Definition of Interrogatories

Imputation of Payments
A civil law term: a system that allocates monies received from a debtor who has more than one debt and who has not, with the payment, specified to the creditor to which debt the monies are applied.
Expanded Legal Definition of Imputation of Payments

Information
Canada: the charging document in a criminal prosecution.
Expanded Legal Definition of Information

Idda
Muslim law: The mandatory waiting period before a divorce created by talaq becomes effective.
Expanded Legal Definition of Idda

In Toto
Latin: in total.
Expanded Legal Definition of In Toto

Intervener
One who is given standing in litigation even though they were not originally a party.
Expanded Legal Definition of Intervener

Increased Costs
A term of statute of costs which are in excess of party and party costs and which may equal or come close to completely indemnify the successful litigant.
Expanded Legal Definition of Increased Costs

Idiot
A person incapable of managing his person or his affairs from birth.
Expanded Legal Definition of Idiot

Imbecile
An individual with a lack of normal mental ability but not complete or absolute.
Expanded Legal Definition of Imbecile

Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
The malicious and outrageous causation of severe emotional distress.
Expanded Legal Definition of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress

International Criminal Law
Offences made criminal in international law and related matters such as jurisdiction, courts and tribunals.
Expanded Legal Definition of International Criminal Law

International Crime
Crimes which affect the peace or safety of more than one state or which are so reprehensible in nature as to justify the intervention of international agencies in the investigation and prosecution thereof.
Expanded Legal Definition of International Crime