Glossary of Basic Legal Terms
Accuse – to charge a person judicially or publicly with an offense; a person accused of a crime
may then be formally charged with that crime.
Acquittal – the legal certification, usually by a jury verdict, that an accused person is not guilty
of the charged offense.
Arrest – the taking or keeping of a person in custody by legal authority, usually in response to a
criminal charge.
Attorney – a person who is licensed to practice law; also known as a lawyer or counselor. There
are many different kinds of attorneys that practice in different areas of the law. For example,
there are prosecutors and defense attorneys who practice criminal law, plaintiff’s attorneys and
defense attorneys who practice civil and domestic law, and guardian ad litems who represent
minors and incompetent persons.
Charge – a formal accusation of a crime as a preliminary step to prosecution.
Conviction – the act or process of judicially finding someone guilty of a crime; the state of
having been proved guilty; the judgment that a person is guilty of a crime.
Court Appointed Attorney – an attorney appointed by the court to represent a person, usually a
person who the court has determined cannot afford an attorney on his or her own.
Defense Attorney – a lawyer who represents a defendant in a civil or criminal case. Although
they are referred to by the same name, a defense attorney in a civil case is very different from a
defense attorney in a criminal case.
Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) - a guardian, who must also be a lawyer under Virginia law
appointed by the court to appear in a lawsuit on behalf of an incompetent or minor party.
Indictment – the formal written accusation of a crime made by a grand jury and presented to a
court for prosecution against the accused person.
Nolle Prosequi (aka “nolle pros” or “nol pros”) – a legal notice that a lawsuit has been
abandoned; a docket entry showing that the plaintiff or the prosecution has abandoned the action;
to abandon a suit or prosecution or to have a case dismissed.
Nolo Contendere – a plea of no contest entered by an accused in a criminal case, which literally
means “I do not wish to contend”
DISCLAIMER: This website contains general information about your legal rights, but it is not legal
advice. Please consult an attorney if you have specific questions.
Perjury – the act or an instance of a person’s deliberately making material false or misleading
statements while under oath.
Plea – an accused person’s formal response of “guilty” or “not guilty” or “no contest” to a
criminal charge.
Prosecutor – a legal officer who represents the government in a criminal proceeding.
Pro Se – One who represents himself in a court proceeding without the assistance of a lawyer.
Public Defender – a lawyer or staff of lawyers, usually publicly appointed, whose duty is to
represent criminal defendants who the court has deemed unable to afford an attorney.
Subpoena – an order of the court commanding a person to appear before a court or other tribunal
subject to a penalty for failing to comply.
DISCLAIMER: This website contains general information about your legal rights, but it is not legal
advice. Please consult an attorney if you have specific questions.
DISCLAIMER: This website contains general information about your legal rights, but it is not legal
advice. Please consult an attorney if you have specific questions.