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SELECT A WORD TO VIEW THE COMPLETE DEFINITION:
American Bar Association
n. the largest organization of American lawyers, which has no official standing, but is prestigious in formulating guidelines for the practice of law, giving direction to legislation, lobbying for the law profession, and evaluating federal judges. Less then one-third of attorneys belong to the A.B.A...
bar
1) n. collectively all attorneys, as "the bar," which comes from the bar or railing which separates the general spectator area of the courtroom from the area reserved for judges, attorneys, parties and court officials. A party to a case or criminal defendant is "before the bar" when he/she is inside...
bar association
n. an organization of lawyers. There are two types, one of which is official and usually called an "integrated bar," which is qualified by the particular state's highest court to establish rules for admission and conduct. There are also local bar associations by city or county which are unofficial a...
bar examination
n. the examination given in each state by either the highest court or, if an "integrated" bar, by the state bar association (subject to appeal to the State Supreme Court) for admission as an attorney. The examinations vary in difficulty, but most include up to three days of questions, many of which ...
bargain
n. 1) a mutual agreement or contract between two parties which is voluntary and involves the exchange of consideration (money, goods, services, or a promise for a promise). 2) a supposed good deal.
barratry
n. creating legal business by stirring up disputes and quarrels, generally for the benefit of the lawyer who sees fees in the matter. Barratry is illegal in all states and subject to criminal punishment and/or discipline by the state bar, but there must be a showing that the resulting lawsuit was to...
barrister
n. in the United States a fancy name for a lawyer or attorney. In Great Britain, there is a two-tier bar made up of solicitors, who perform all legal tasks except appearance in court, and barristers, who try cases. Some solicitors will "take the silk" (quaint expression) and become barristers.
disbar
v. to remove an attorney from the list of practicing attorneys for improper conduct. This penalty is usually invoked by the State Bar Association (if so empowered) or the highest state court, and will automatically prohibit the attorney from practicing law before the courts in that state or from giv...
disbarment
n. the ultimate discipline of an attorney, which is taking away his/her license to practice law, often for life. Disbarment only comes after investigation and opportunities for the attorney to explain his/her improper conduct. Sometimes an attorney may be reinstated upon a showing of rehabilitation ...
loss of bargain
n. the inability to complete a sale or other business deal, caused by another's breach of contract, intentional interference with one's business, negligence or some other wrongdoing. The amount of monetary damages resulting from this loss can be determined in a lawsuit.
plea bargain
n. in criminal procedure, a negotiation between the defendant and his attorney on one side and the prosecutor on the other, in which the defendant agrees to plead "guilty" or "no contest" to some crimes, in return for reduction of the severity of the charges, dismissal of some of the charges, the pr...
sidebar
n. 1) physically, an area in front of or next to the judge's bench (the raised desk in front of the judge) away from the witness stand and the jury box, where lawyers are called to speak confidentially with the judge out of earshot of the jury. 2) a discussion between the judge and attorneys at the ...
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