legal education and practice

Beyond a reasonable doubt is the legal burden of proof required for a criminal conviction.

A bias is to exhibit a pre-existing inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something. 

Biased assimilation is the tendency to interpret information in a way that supports a desired conclusion. This tendency leads parties to place undue credibility on evidence that supports that conclusion while also unduly discounting information that contradicts it. 

Bifurcate, in the legal sense, is the dividing of a case into two stages for trial. A common division is to determine liability or guilt in the first stage and damages or punishment in the second.

Bifurcated trial means that the trial is conducted in two stages. A common division is to determine liability or guilt in the first stage and damages or penalties in the second.

Bigamy is a marriage in which one of the parties is already legally married. Bigamy is the practice which involves having two spouses at the same time. The second marriage to someone who is already legally married is void and may be annulled, while there is no effect on the first marriage.

Bilateral means two-sided and is frequently used to refer to agreements between two countries. For example, the United States and Australia have a Bilateral trade agreement limiting tariffs or other protectionist policies between the two nations. 

A bilateral divorce is a divorce proceeding where both parties are subject to the court’s personal jurisdiction. A bilateral divorce does not require both parties to be domiciled where the court is exercising jurisdiction, just that both parties be present. 

• family law

A bill is a formal written statement, claim, declaration, or instrument.

A bill of attainder is legislation that declares an individual or group guilty of a crime and imposes punishment without the benefit of a judicial proceeding.