Maintenance: The obligation of one person to contribute, in part or in whole, to the cost of living of another person. See the complete Legal Definition of Maintenance
Malfeasance: Doing something which is illegal. See the complete Legal Definition of Malfeasance
Mandamus: A writ which commands an individual, organization (eg. government), administrative tribunal or court to perform a certain action, usually to correct a prior illegal action or a failure to act in the first place. See the complete Legal Definition of Mandamus
Manslaughter: Unlawful killing of a human being without malice. See the complete Legal Definition of Manslaughter
Maritime Law: A specialized body of law particular to transportation by water. See the complete Legal Definition of Maritime Law
Massachusetts Trust: A unique way to organize a business where the property is bought by, or transferred to, a trustee (such as a trust company) and the trustee issues trust units, which the investors, or their designates, hold as beneficiaries. See the complete Legal Definition of Massachusetts Trust
Matrimony: The legal state of being married. See the complete Legal Definition of Matrimony
Mediation: A neutral facilitator who assists the parties to a dispute in communicating and negotiating a settlement. See the complete Legal Definition of Mediation
MOU: Abbreviation of Memorandum of Understanding. A document intended to become a contract but which, if meeting other criteria, can be recognized, in law, a contract. See the complete Legal Definition of MOU
Mens Rea: Latin for guilty mind; guilty knowledge or intention to commit a prohibited act. See the complete Legal Definition of Mens Rea
Minor: A young person not yet of the age of majority. See the complete Legal Definition of Minor
Minutes: The official written record of a meeting. See the complete Legal Definition of Minutes
Miranda Warning: A requirement that police officers, in the U.S.A., before any questioning is so begun, warn suspects upon arrest that they have the right to remain silent, that any statement that they make could be used against them in a court of law, that they have the right to contact a lawyer and that if they cannot afford a lawyer, that one will be provided. See the complete Legal Definition of Miranda Warning
Misdemeanor: (USA) A crime of lesser seriousness than a felony where the punishment might be a fine or prison for less than one year. See the complete Legal Definition of Misdemeanor
Misfeasance: Improperly doing something which a person has the legal right to do. See the complete Legal Definition of Misfeasance
Mis-joinder: When a person has been named as a party to a law suit when that person should not have been added. See the complete Legal Definition of Mis-joinder
Misrepresentation: A false and material statement which induces a party to enter into a contract. See the complete Legal Definition of Misrepresentation
Mistrial: A partial or complete trial which is found to be null and void and of no effect because of some irregularity. See the complete Legal Definition of Mistrial
Mitigating Circumstances: Facts that, while not negating a wrongful action, tend to show that the defendant may have had some grounds for acting the way he/she did. See the complete Legal Definition of Mitigating Circumstances
Mitigation of Damages: A person who sues another for damages has an obligation to minimize - mitigate - those damages, as far as reasonable. See the complete Legal Definition of Mitigation of Damages
Modus Operandi: Latin: method of operation. See the complete Legal Definition of Modus Operandi
Moiety: Half of something. For example, it can be said that joint tenants hold a moiety in property. See the complete Legal Definition of Moiety
Monopoly: A commercial advantage enjoyed by only one or a select few companies in which only those companies can trade in a certain area. See the complete Legal Definition of Monopoly
Moot: A matter where the issue raised concerns a hypothetical or abstract question See the complete Legal Definition of Moot
Moot Court: Fictional or hypothetical trial, usually hosted by law schools, as training for future barristers or litigators. See the complete Legal Definition of Moot Court
Moratorium: The temporary suspension of legal action against a person. See the complete Legal Definition of Moratorium
Mortgage: An interest given on a piece of land, in writing, to guarantee the payment of a debt or the execution of some action. See the complete Legal Definition of Mortgage
Murder: Intentional homicide (the taking of another person’s life), without legal justification or provocation. See the complete Legal Definition of Murder
Marriage: The voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. See the complete Legal Definition of Marriage
Martial Law: The suspension of regular government and habeas corpus or the reliance of military law enforcement. See the complete Legal Definition of Martial Law
Malice: Spite or ill-will. See the complete Legal Definition of Malice
Malicious Prosecution: An intentional tort which redresses losses flowing from an unjustified prosecution. See the complete Legal Definition of Malicious Prosecution
Mailbox Rule: A contract law exception that makes a mailed acceptance of an offer valid as of posting. See the complete Legal Definition of Mailbox Rule
M'Naghten Rules: A defence to criminal law liability developed in England; if, at the time of the offence, the accused had a disease of the mind such that he was unable to know that his act was wrong. See the complete Legal Definition of M'Naghten Rules
Melton's Case: A mid-1500s English case, never brought to Court because the king and his Parliament defeated the otherwise meritorious claim by retroactive statute. See the complete Legal Definition of Melton's Case
Mareva Injunction: A temporary injunction that freezes the assets of a party pending further order or final resolution by the Court. See the complete Legal Definition of Mareva Injunction
Mary Carter Agreement: Where some defendants settle with a plaintiff a term of which is a loan by the settling defendant to the plaintiff, to be repaid by any monies recovered from the remaining defendant(s). See the complete Legal Definition of Mary Carter Agreement
Motion: A proposal made to a Court or at a meeting and intended to be considered and decided upon. See the complete Legal Definition of Motion
Matrimonial Property: Property owned by one or both of two persons who are married to one another which, upon the application of one of the spouses to a court, is subject to division between them. See the complete Legal Definition of Matrimonial Property
Matrimonial: Of or relating to the state of being married; of marriage. See the complete Legal Definition of Matrimonial
Matrimonial Asset: An asset owned by one or both of two persons who are married to one another which, upon the application of one of the spouses to a court, is subject to division between them. See the complete Legal Definition of Matrimonial Asset
Matrimonial Debt: A debt contracted during a marriage and for which both spouses are equally liable, regardless of who contracted the debt or who is directly liable for it. See the complete Legal Definition of Matrimonial Debt
Monarchy: A form of government in which law-making power is given to a single person, usually holding such authority by birthright and not by merit. See the complete Legal Definition of Monarchy
Movable: Civil law: things not attached to land and which may be carried from place to place. See the complete Legal Definition of Movable
Mortgagee: The person who extends credit secured by a mortgage; the mortgage lender. See the complete Legal Definition of Mortgagee
Mortgagor: The person who borrows money secured by conceding a mortgage against his interest in real property. See the complete Legal Definition of Mortgagor
Money: An item accepted by all as payment for debts or for goods or services. See the complete Legal Definition of Money
Maladministration: Abuse of power by public officers. See the complete Legal Definition of Maladministration
Maritime Lien: A lien which attaches to a ship and its cargo. See the complete Legal Definition of Maritime Lien
MARPOL 73/78: Acronym for the international treaty for the prevention of pollution from ships, 1973, as modified in 1978. See the complete Legal Definition of MARPOL 73/78
Mechanic's Lien: A statutory charge on real property arising from labor or material supplied to improve upon it. See the complete Legal Definition of Mechanic's Lien
Mosaic Law: Ancient law as set out in the first five books of the Bible (Old Testament). See the complete Legal Definition of Mosaic Law
Mansuetae Naturae: Latin: animals which are now generally domestic, presumed gentle and readily tamed, such as dogs, cats, cows and horses. See the complete Legal Definition of Mansuetae Naturae
Med-Arb: A form of arbitration in which the arbitrators starts as a mediator but in the event of a failure of mediation, the arbitrator imposes a binding decision. See the complete Legal Definition of Med-Arb
Multi-level Marketing: A system for selling products in which participants get paid for selling products to other participants who, in turn, are paid for selling the same products to yet more participants. See the complete Legal Definition of Multi-level Marketing
Mayhem: Violently depriving another person of a body part to render less effective that person's defence of self. See the complete Legal Definition of Mayhem
Material Reciprocity: A format of international agreements wherein a host state agrees to extend to foreign nationals the same legal rights that the foreign government extends to its own citizens inside its state. See the complete Legal Definition of Material Reciprocity
Minimum Wage: The lowest allowable rate of pay as established by statute. See the complete Legal Definition of Minimum Wage
Money Laundering: The conversion or transfer of money obtained by crime for the purposes of frustrating law enforcement. See the complete Legal Definition of Money Laundering
Mala Fides: Latin: bad faith. See the complete Legal Definition of Mala Fides
Marshalling: If a creditor has access to two sources of payment, he shall take his payment out of that fund upon which another creditor has no access or lien. See the complete Legal Definition of Marshalling
Mental Cruelty: Wanton, malicious or unnecessary infliction of pain or suffering upon the feelings or emotions of another. See the complete Legal Definition of Mental Cruelty
Mercantile Law: The law as it relates to merchants and commerce; commercial law. See the complete Legal Definition of Mercantile Law
Mortis Omnia Solvit: Latin: Death puts an end to everything. See the complete Legal Definition of Mortis Omnia Solvit
Mistake: A fundamental error going to the root of a purported contract. See the complete Legal Definition of Mistake
Meeting of the Minds: The fact of contracting parties arresting their thoughts on a common set of fundamental terms. See the complete Legal Definition of Meeting of the Minds
Mesne Profits: Profits from land while it has been improperly held. See the complete Legal Definition of Mesne Profits
Motor Vehicle: A self-propelled contrivance designed for the carriage of persons or things. See the complete Legal Definition of Motor Vehicle
Master: A partly-empowered superior-level court judge, used mostly for interlocutory and procedural civil hearings. See the complete Legal Definition of Master
Mutatis Mutandis: With changes on points of detail. See the complete Legal Definition of Mutatis Mutandis
Misprision: Offence in aid of the most seriously punished crimes in the ancient common law of England. See the complete Legal Definition of Misprision
Mortmain Statutes: Statutes of ancient English law which prevented the transfer of real property to or from corporations in general, or to or from religious corporations in particular. See the complete Legal Definition of Mortmain Statutes
Miscarriage of Justice: A substantial wrong which occurs during a trial which so infects the proceedings as to merit quashing the result on appeal. See the complete Legal Definition of Miscarriage of Justice
Mohtasib: Muslim law: the investigating and, in some cases, prosecuting office of criminal justice. See the complete Legal Definition of Mohtasib
Mujtahid: Muslim law: a scholar of Muslim lawyer; one sufficiently versed in Muslim law. See the complete Legal Definition of Mujtahid
Muslim: Muslim law: any person who professes as a religion, that there is but one God and that Mohammad is the prophet of that God. See the complete Legal Definition of Muslim
Muta: Muslim law: a temporary marriage; for a fixed period. See the complete Legal Definition of Muta
Muslim Law: The body of law derived from the Koran and other recorded sayings of the Muslim prophet Muhammad (570-632). See the complete Legal Definition of Muslim Law
Merger: The absorption of one corporation by another. See the complete Legal Definition of Merger
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): A document which generally is not intended to be legally binding but, if meeting the other criteria, can be, in law, a contract. See the complete Legal Definition of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Marital Property: Property acquired by either of two spouses while they are married together. See the complete Legal Definition of Marital Property
Marriage Agreement: An agreement between two persons in anticipation of or during the marriage, and in regards to rights and responsibilities as they may flow from the relationship. See the complete Legal Definition of Marriage Agreement
Mentally Retarded: Subnormal general intellectual functioning which originates during the developmental period and is associated with impairment of learning and social adjustment or maturation. See the complete Legal Definition of Mentally Retarded
Mentally Ill: A person who is incapable of managing his person or his affairs. See the complete Legal Definition of Mentally Ill
Marriage Contract: A contract between prospective husband and wife, or during the marriage, and which settles in whole or in part, their respective rights and obligations as regards the marriage. See the complete Legal Definition of Marriage Contract
Mandate Rule: An inferior court has no power or authority to deviate from the mandate issued by an appellate court. See the complete Legal Definition of Mandate Rule
Manifest Abuse of Discretion: An American standard of judicial review: discretion exercised improvidently or thoughtlessly and without due consideration. See the complete Legal Definition of Manifest Abuse of Discretion
Marriage Brokerage Contract: A contract of introduction to unwed persons, payment due and payable upon marriage. See the complete Legal Definition of Marriage Brokerage Contract
Means and Manner: The result and performance detail(s) of work. See the complete Legal Definition of Means and Manner
Medical Malpractice: Negligence of a health care professional in the diagnosis, care, and treatment of a patient. See the complete Legal Definition of Medical Malpractice
Mainprize: The taking of a person into friendly custody. See the complete Legal Definition of Mainprize
Marriage of Convenience: A marriage entered into not for love and mutual affection but in order to facilitate immigration. See the complete Legal Definition of Marriage of Convenience
Mania: An abnormally elevated mood state. See the complete Legal Definition of Mania
Mental Disorder: A psychiatric disorder; a clinically significant disease, illness or disability of the mind. See the complete Legal Definition of Mental Disorder
MMPI - Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory: An objective personality test designed to detect a number of major patterns of personality and emotional disorder. See the complete Legal Definition of MMPI - Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
MCMI - Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory: A test to assess specific personality characteristics including emotional factors. See the complete Legal Definition of MCMI - Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory
McMorris Evidence: Evidence of past violence by a victim of crime. See the complete Legal Definition of McMorris Evidence
McDonnell Douglas Framework: A preliminary legal requirement to proving employment discrimination: that the adverse employment decision which is complains of was more likely than not motivated by discrimination. See the complete Legal Definition of McDonnell Douglas Framework
Mooring: The securing of a vessel to the shore or to the bottom, including by anchor. See the complete Legal Definition of Mooring
Myocardium: The cardiac muscle at the middle layer of the heart. See the complete Legal Definition of Myocardium
Myocardial Infarction: Permanent damage caused to the middle layer, the heart muscle, usually by sudden obstruction of blood flow. See the complete Legal Definition of Myocardial Infarction
Medical Expert: A witness tendered to offer opinion evidence within the confines of his or her area of medical expertise. See the complete Legal Definition of Medical Expert