Nature of Law
A right recognized and protected by law.
What is a legal right?
Law based on the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions.
What is constitutional law?
The authority of a court to hear and decide a particular case.
What is jurisdiction?
The party who brings a lawsuit.
Who is the plaintiff?
The abbreviation for methods of resolving disputes outside traditional courtroom litigation.
What is ADR?
The right of individuals to be free from unreasonable intrusion into their personal lives.
What is the right of privacy?
Law enacted by legislative bodies such as Congress and state legislatures.
What is statutory law?
The authority of a court to hear a case initially.
What is original jurisdiction?
The party against whom a lawsuit is brought.
Who is the defendant?
A dispute-resolution process in which a neutral third party helps the parties negotiate their own settlement.
What is mediation?
The relationship in which one person's legal right creates a corresponding obligation for another person.
What are legal rights and duties?
Law created by administrative agencies through rules, regulations, and decisions.
What is administrative law?
The authority of a court to review a lower court's decision.
What is appellate jurisdiction?
The initial pleading filed by a plaintiff that states the claims against the defendant.
What is a complaint?
A dispute-resolution process in which a neutral person hears the dispute and makes a decision.
What is arbitration?
This area of law has become increasingly important because businesses can collect, store, analyze, and share large amounts of personal information.
What is privacy law?
A prior court decision that can guide courts when deciding later cases involving similar legal issues.
What is precedent?
The two major court systems in the United States.
What are the federal and state court systems?
The legal process through which a party asks a higher court to review a lower court's decision.
What is an appeal?
A dispute-resolution process that combines mediation and arbitration.
What is MedArb?
Rights that are recognized and enforceable under the law.
What are legal rights?
The type of law that establishes rights and duties, as opposed to the law establishing methods for enforcing them.
What is substantive law?
The highest court in the federal court system.
What is the U.S. Supreme Court?
A court that reviews the proceedings and legal decisions of a lower court.
What is an appellate court?
These are two potential advantages of alternative dispute resolution compared with traditional litigation.
What are saving time and money?