THE LEGAL PROCESS

An adverse party is the party with opposing interests. If there are numerous parties and claims, parties may be in agreement on some matters and adverse on some issues.

For example, the adverse party for a defendant is the plaintiff.

Adverse possession is a doctrine under which a trespasser, in physical possession of land owned by someone else may acquire valid title to the property.

• property
• real estate
• Real Property
• land ownership
• OWNERSHIP
• Trespass

An adverse witness, sometimes referred to as a hostile witness, is a witness who identifies with the opposing party because of a relationship or a common interest in the outcome of the litigation. 

An advisory opinion is a court's nonbinding interpretation of law. It states the opinion of a court upon a legal question submitted by a legislature, government official, or another court. Parties seeking advisory opinions tend to do so to better understand their odds of winning a potential lawsuit before risking the expensive process of litigation. 

The advocacy of illegal action is a category of speech not protected by the First Amendment. It is also sometimes referred to as the advocacy of illegal conduct.

• freedom of speech
• First Amendment
• PROTECTED SPEECH
• unprotected speech

The term advocate functions as a noun and a verb.

As a noun, an advocate (pronounced "ad-vuh-kit") is an individual who actively supports and promotes the interests of another person or enterprise.

As a verb, to advocate (pronounced "ad-vuh-kate”) is the act of promoting the interest of another person or group. 

An affiant is a person who is the author of an affidavit and who swears to the truth and accuracy of the statements made in the affidavit.

The person making the signed statement (affiant) takes an oath that the contents are true to the best of their knowledge.

An affidavit is a sworn statement a person makes before a notary or officer of the court outside of the court asserting that certain facts are true to the best of that person’s knowledge.

In a legal context, affirm is generally used to mean to confirm or ratify, although there are several related usages of the word. 

Typical uses of this word include:

An affirmative defense is a defense in which the defendant introduces evidence, which, if found to be credible, will negate criminal liability or civil liability, even if it is proven tha

• criminal law
• CIVIL LAW
• defense
• AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE