Terminology: Difference between revisions

;bastard:A child of unmarried parents; an illegitimate child. Bastards used to be at a profound legal disadvantage, however the law has changed so that such children are treated no differently than children born of a marriage. The appearance of this definition below that of "barrister and solicitor" is purely coincidental.

;bench:The court; judges as a group; the place where a judge sits in a courtroom.

;bigamy:The act of going through a form of marriage ceremony with one person while being already married to someone else. This is a criminal offence in Canada, unlike Utah. Bigamous marriages, subsequent to the first marriage, are void ab initio. See "ab initio" and "marriage, validity of".

;bill:In law, a lawyer's statement of account for services rendered to his or her client. A piece of draft legislation presented to the legislature for its approval. See "account", "act" and "lawyer's fees".

;waive:In law, to give up a right or entitlement; to give up the opportunity to assert a right or enforce an entitlement.

;waste:In law, intentionally or unintentionally allowing the value of a piece of property to diminish through carelessness, neglect or purposeful harm.

;without prejudice:In the context of negotiation or mediation, an arrangement that neither party will be able to use the content of the discussions in a court proceeding. In the context of litigation, an arrangement that consent to a certain order will not affect the legal rights of either party. In the context of a settlement proposal, a stipulate that the contents of the proposal may not be shown to the court until court proceeding has concluded. See "consent order", "mediation", "negotiation", "offer to settle" and "settlement".

;witness:A person with person knowledge of things; a person giving oral evidence in court on oath or affirmation as to the truth of the evidence given. See "affirm", "evidence", "oath" and "opinion evidence".