Amount in controversy refers to the amount of money a plaintiff seeks in a lawsuit. The monetary value of a non-monetary remedy such as an injunction can also be included in the amount in controversy. For a case to be heard in district court...
civil procedure
anchor
An anchor refers to a reference point. For the purposes of the law, anchors are frequently utilized by lawyers in litigation to persuade the jury through a process called anchoring.
Anchoring, or anchoring bias as it's also...
anchoring
In negotiations, “anchoring” refers to the common tendency of giving undue weight to the first value or number put forth, and to then inadequately adjust from or counter the first value or number, or the “anchor.”
Thus the...
ancillary jurisdiction
Ancillary jurisdiction allows a federal court to hear a claim that would normally be outside of its subject-matter jurisdiction if it is substantially related to a second claim that is within the court's jurisdiction. A claim comes within a...
answer
An answer is a reply to a question or a solution to a problem.
In law, an answer refers to a defendant’s first formal written statement to a plaintiff’s initial petition or complaint. This opening written statement will...
anti-contact rule
The anti-contact rule, also known as rule 4.2 of professional conduct, is a rule prohibiting lawyers from discussing subject matter of any case they’re working on with someone the lawyer knows to be represented by another lawyer in the matter...
appeal
An appeal is a challenge to a previous legal determination. An appeal is directed towards a legal power higher than the power making the challenged determination. In most states and the federal system, trial court determinations can be...
appear
Appear is the verb for when a party makes an appearance at trial. You can appear either in person or virtually, though both options are not always available in any given court.
For more specific information, see appearance...
appearance
A party enters an appearance when they show up to court in response to a service of process. Appearance isn’t only a reference to physical presence in court when required, but also to procedural compliance (e.g., filing an answer,...
appellant
Appellant is the party who appeals a lower court's judgment or order to a higher court. The appellant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the proceeding and seeks review by a higher court to overturn or modify the decision. In some courts, it...