Chambers are the private rooms where judges may hear matters, transact business, or have legal discussions with lawyers in private, it is usually used in the plural in this sense. If a trial is “in chambers,” it means that the trial happens...
trial process/advocacy
champerty
Champerty refers to a relationship that arises when third parties unrelated to a litigation provide material support to litigants in exchange for consideration contingent on the outcome of the litigation. Often that relationship between the...
chance verdict
A chance verdict (also known as a gambling verdict) refers to a verdict that is reached not through deliberation understanding, but through chance. Thus, in a close case without the agreement of the jury, some jurors might wish to flip a coin...
chancellor
In the old English legal system, a chancellor is a judge who sit in a chancery court—an equity court. In equity courts, the chancellor has the power to order acts rather than damages. As a result, injunctions, specific performance and vacatur are...
chancery
Chancery originated in Medieval England as a distinct court of equity, named for the Lord Chancellor. In its earliest form, those who were unable to obtain an adequate common law remedy could petition the King of England, who would refer the...
charging lien
A charging lien is defined as a type of attorney's lien under which a lawyer acquires an interest in a judgment awarded to the client. This may mean that the lawyer can eventually claim a portion of any money paid to the client due to the...
child custody
Child Custody: An Overview
Child custody issues arise most commonly in cases of divorce. The court of jurisdiction for the divorce proceedings also determines child custody arrangements. Under the common statutory provision, if the spouses...
civil procedure
Overview:
Broadly speaking, civil procedure consists of the rules by which courts conduct civil trials. "Civil trials" concern the judicial resolution of claims by one individual or class against another and are to be distinguished from "...
class action
Overview
A class action is a procedural device that permits one or more plaintiffs to file and prosecute a lawsuit on behalf of a larger group, or "class". Put simply, the device allows courts to manage lawsuits that would otherwise be...
clearly erroneous
The “clearly erroneous” standard is a standard of review in civil appellate proceedings. In the United States v. United States Gypsum Co. the Supreme Court stated that the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52(a) provides that “a finding is ‘...