wex definitions

An attorney’s duty of confidentiality is an ethical duty that a lawyer owes to their clients, both in the continuing process of the lawyer-client relationship, and afterward.

Attorney's Fees/Attorneys' Fees, or Attorney fees are the amounts billed to a client for legal services performed on their behalf. Attorney fees may be hourly, contingent, flat, or hybrid. Nonrefundable fees are prohibited in some states.

An attorney’s lien is the right of a lawyer to hold a client's property until the client pays for legal services provided. The property may include business files, official documents, and money awarded by a court. The right to an attorney's lien may come from the 

Attorney-client privilege protects confidential communications between a lawyer and their client that relate to the client's seeking of legal advice or services. This protection extends to any information exchanged during these privileged communications, encompassing not only verbal discussions but also written correspondence, emails, text messages, and other forms of communication. 

• attorney-client privilege
• confidentiality

An attorney-in-fact is an agent authorized to act on behalf of another person but not necessarily authorized to practice law; e.g., a person authorized to act by a power of attorney.

Attractive nuisance is a dangerous condition on a landowner's property that may particularly attract children onto the land and pose a risk to their safety.

• lawsuits-court
• homeowners
• real-estate-rental-property

Attractive nuisance is a dangerous condition on a landowner's property that may particularly attract children onto the land and pose a risk to their safety. In tort law, the attractive-nuisance doctrine imposes a duty on property owners to treat trespassing children the same as an invitee, and as a result, must exercise

An audit (noun) is a formal examination and verification of an individual’s or organization’s records and accounts, finances, or compliance with a set of standards.

To audit (verb) is the act of conducting formal examination and verification.

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

The audit committee is a committee composed of a company’s board of directors in charge of overseeing the company’s auditors, financial reporting, and disclosures. 15 U.S.C.

An auditor is one who conducts an audit. Specifically, an auditor is a person or firm (usually an accountant or accounting firm) that conducts a formal examination and verification of an individual’s or organization’s records and accounts, finances, or compliance with a set of standards.

[Last reviewed in November of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]