What legal terms should everyone know?
Start with the people (plaintiff, defendant, beneficiary, executor), the documents (contract, lease, will, power of attorney, subpoena), the money (lien, escrow, bail) and the outcomes (verdict, plea bargain, probation). This game drills 42 of them in five categories, and every one is defined in the glossary below.
How to play
- The board has five categories: In the Courtroom, Latin Legalese, Contracts & Property, Crime & Punishment, Wills & Estates.
- Each column has clues worth $200 to $1,000. Higher values are harder terms.
- Every clue is a definition. Pick the matching term from four choices.
- Right answers add the clue's value; wrong answers subtract it. Clear all 25 to finish.
- Today's board is the same for everyone. Hit “New board” for a random one.
Why learn legal terms?
Legal vocabulary shows up far outside a courtroom: in a lease, a car loan, a job contract, a jury summons or a parent's will. Knowing that a lien is a claim on property for a debt, or that dying intestate means state law decides who inherits, helps you spot when to read closely and when to ask a lawyer. The game is also a fast review for civics, criminal justice and paralegal students.
Legal terms glossary
All 42 terms in the game, A to Z, with the category each appears in.
- AlibiLatin Legalese
- Evidence that the accused was somewhere else when the crime happened.
- Amicus curiaeLatin Legalese
- A "friend of the court": someone not in the case who files a brief to offer expertise.
- BailCrime & Punishment
- Money or a promise given so an accused person can be released before trial.
- BeneficiaryWills & Estates
- A person named to receive money or property from a will, trust or policy.
- Breach of contractContracts & Property
- Failing to do what a contract requires without a legal excuse.
- CodicilWills & Estates
- A written amendment that changes part of an existing will.
- ConsiderationContracts & Property
- Something of value each side gives, which a contract needs to be binding.
- Contempt of courtIn the Courtroom
- Disobeying or disrespecting a court's authority, which can bring fines or jail.
- ContractContracts & Property
- A legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties.
- DefendantIn the Courtroom
- The person or party being sued or accused of a crime.
- DepositionIn the Courtroom
- Sworn out-of-court testimony, recorded for later use in a case.
- Double jeopardyCrime & Punishment
- Being tried twice for the same offense after an acquittal or conviction, which the U.S. Constitution forbids.
- EasementContracts & Property
- A right to use part of someone else's land for a specific purpose, like a utility line.
- EscrowContracts & Property
- Money or documents held by a neutral third party until the terms of a deal are met.
- ExecutorWills & Estates
- The person named in a will to carry out its instructions.
- FelonyCrime & Punishment
- A serious crime, usually punishable by more than a year in prison.
- Force majeureContracts & Property
- A contract clause excusing performance when extraordinary events, like disasters, make it impossible.
- Habeas corpusLatin Legalese
- A demand that a jailed person be brought before a court to test whether the detention is lawful.
- HearsayIn the Courtroom
- An out-of-court statement offered to prove it is true, which courts often exclude.
- IndictmentCrime & Punishment
- A formal accusation of a serious crime, issued by a grand jury.
- IntestateWills & Estates
- Dying without a valid will, so state law decides who inherits.
Legal terms glossary, continued
- LeaseContracts & Property
- A contract letting someone use property for a set time in exchange for rent.
- LienContracts & Property
- A legal claim on property as security for a debt.
- Living trustWills & Estates
- A trust created during your lifetime that can pass assets to heirs without probate.
- Mens reaLatin Legalese
- The "guilty mind": the intent or knowledge a crime requires.
- MisdemeanorCrime & Punishment
- A less serious crime, usually punishable by fines or up to a year in jail.
- ObjectionIn the Courtroom
- A lawyer's formal protest that a question or piece of evidence breaks the rules.
- PerjuryCrime & Punishment
- Lying under oath.
- PlaintiffIn the Courtroom
- The person or party who brings a lawsuit.
- Plea bargainCrime & Punishment
- An agreement where the accused pleads guilty in exchange for a lesser charge or sentence.
- Power of attorneyWills & Estates
- A document authorizing someone to act for you in legal or financial matters.
- Prima facieLatin Legalese
- Evidence that is enough to prove a point unless it is rebutted: "at first sight."
- Pro bonoLatin Legalese
- Legal work done for free, for the public good.
- Pro seLatin Legalese
- Representing yourself in court without a lawyer.
- ProbateWills & Estates
- The court process of proving a will and settling a deceased person's estate.
- ProbationCrime & Punishment
- Supervised release in the community instead of, or after, jail time.
- RecusalIn the Courtroom
- A judge stepping aside from a case because of a possible conflict of interest.
- Stare decisisLatin Legalese
- The principle that courts follow earlier rulings on the same legal question.
- SubpoenaIn the Courtroom
- A court order requiring someone to testify or hand over documents.
- VerdictIn the Courtroom
- The formal decision a jury or judge reaches at the end of a trial.
- Voir direIn the Courtroom
- The questioning of potential jurors to choose a fair jury.
- WillWills & Estates
- A legal document saying who receives your property after you die.
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For learning and fun only. PuzzlePage's games explain general concepts and are not legal advice. Rules vary by state and country and change over time; for decisions about your own situation, talk to a licensed professional. Jeopardy! is a trademark of its owners; this game is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.