Common Legal Terminology
Clerk of Court -
- The court officer who oversees administrative functions, especially managing the flow of cases through the court. The clerk’s office is often called a court’s central nervous system.
Collateral -
- Property that is promised as security for the satisfaction of a debt.
Common Law -
- The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States, which relies on the articulation of legal principles in a historical succession of judicial decisions. Common law principles can be changed by legislation.
Community Service -
- A special condition the court imposes that requires an individual to work – without pay – for a civic or nonprofit organization.
Complaint -
- A written statement that begins a civil lawsuit, in which the plaintiff details the claims against the defendant.
Concurrent Sentence -
- Prison terms for two or more offenses to be served at the same time, rather than one after the other. Example: Two five-year sentences and one three-year sentence, if served concurrently, result in a maximum of five years behind bars.
Confirmation -
- Approval of a plan of reorganization by a bankruptcy judge.
Consecutive Sentence -
- Prison terms for two or more offenses to be served one after the other. Example: Two five-year sentences and one three-year sentence, if served consecutively, result in a maximum of 13 years behind bars.
Consumer Bankruptcy -
- A bankruptcy case filed to reduce or eliminate debts that are primarily consumer debts.
Consumer Debts -
- Debts incurred for personal, as opposed to business, needs.
All terms and definitions on this page are from uscourts.gov/glossary (April 13, 2020)