THE LEGAL PROCESS

allege

To allege means to claim or assert something as true; to make an allegation.

[Last updated in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]

Allen charge

Allen charges (also referred to as dynamite, nitroglycerin, shotgun, or third-degree charges) refer to jury instructions given to a hung jury urging them to agree on a verdict. Allen charges are controversial as some claim they overly...

allocution

Allocution is the direct address between the judge and the convicted defendant prior to sentencing. During the address, the judge speaks directly to the defendant and asks if the defendant has anything to add prior to hearing the sentence....

ALR

ALR is an acronym for American Law Reports. The ALR provides summaries of several important legal issues in various practice areas. The summaries include citations to relevant cases, regulations, and statutes as well as links to relevant...

alter ego

Alter ego is a legal doctrine whereby the court finds that a corporation lacks a separate identity from an individual or corporate shareholder. The court applies this rule to ignore the corporate status of a group of stockholders, officers,...

alternative dispute resolution

Definition

Alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) refers to any method of resolving disputes without litigation. ADR regroups all processes and techniques of conflict resolution that occur outside of any governmental authority. The most...

alternative dispute resolution service

A place or organization that offers alternative dispute resolution opportunities is offering alternative dispute resolution services. These services are designed to resolve conflicts between parties without the need for potentially lengthy...

alternative pleading

Alternative pleading is a form of pleading that allows a party to allege two or more claims which are inconsistent with each other. Alternative pleading is fundamental to the United States court system.

During a lawsuit...

alternative writ of mandate (mandamus)

Also called an alternative mandamus.

An alternative writ of mandate is a court order that 1) states the allegations of a complaint against a governmental agency, corporation, court, official, or other public authority and 2...

amend

To amend is to make a change by adding, subtracting, or substituting. For example, one can amend a statute, a contract, the United States Constitution, or a pleading filed in a lawsuit. Generally, procedures dictate the way in which one...

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