Do you find yourself in legal troubles, yet have no idea what is going on when you read your summons or go to court? Is the legalese too much? Is it all just a jumble of Latin terms and seemingly condescending phrasing?
It does not need to be. It can be as simple as doing just a tiny bit of research to find a legal terms dictionary. Whether you buy the hard copy from your local bookstore, or find one online, it could be just what you need to feel comfortable and confident in the court room.
- Legal Vocabulary
- Law Definitions
- Legal Terms Dictionary
The biggest problem with the law process is that it is so separated and compartmentalized from the everyday lives of regular citizens. As such, there is something of an elitist mentality keeping us from learning more and empowering ourselves unless we want to commit to over four years worth of schooling just to become a lawyer.
By learning the language of the law, you take that unattainable power from those higher ups. You meet them on their own level, so that they cannot talk down to you, or speak in code with you in the same room. It is like looking behind the curtain at the Wizard of Oz. When you can understand what is going on in the background, it loses its grandeur, is no longer great and powerful.
Law definitions are so difficult to understand for two main reasons. The first is that they are Latin. Rather simple. Latin is a dead language, meaning that no people speak it in its entirety for communicative purposes. Instead, phrases and words are used in the medical, legal, and religious realms. But if you have not been taught what they mean, there is no real way to piece their meaning from the rest of the legalise.
The second reason is that the system and terminology is all antiquated. The law that our system is based on has been around longer than our country has. As such, they are all old practices. Again, if you are not expressly trained in these antiquated rules, there is no way to know them on your own.
But a legal terms dictionary is a way to get a start. You can get rid of that language barrier and empower yourself to understand. It may not be easy at first, and it will most certainly feel daunting. But, when you get fluent and knowledgeable, you will realize how valuable it truly can be.
Whether you need to learn it now, or just want a better understanding of law in general, pick up a dictionary. Learn the terminology, which can then help to explain legal practices and laws. Stop feeling powerless and uneducated. Fight back with knowledge.