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Definition: Legal |
LegalAdjective1. Established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules. 2. Of or relating to jurisprudence; "legal loophole". 3. Having legal efficacy or force; "a sound title to the property". 4. Relating to or characteristic of the profession of law; "the legal profession". 5. (sports) allowed by official rules; "a legal pass receiver". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "legal" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1258. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | Legal adj. Loosely used to mean `in accordance with all the relevant rules', esp. in connection with some set of constraints defined by software. "The older =+ alternate for += is no longer legal syntax in ANSI C." "This parser processes each line of legal input the moment it sees the trailing linefeed." Hackers often model their work as a sort of game played with the environment in which the objective is to maneuver through the thicket of `natural laws' to achieve a desired objective. Their use of `legal' is flavored as much by this game-playing sense as by the more conventional one having to do with courts and lawyers. Compare language lawyer, legalese. Source: Jargon File. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
simple:LawThis article is about law in society. For other article subjects named law see law (disambiguation).
This article is concerned with laws of politics and jurisprudence: rules of conduct which mandate and/or proscribe specified relationships among people and organizations; as well as punishments for those who do not follow the established rules of conduct.
In ethics and moral philosophy this type of law is often called a "human legal code" to distinguish it from more fundamental laws applicable to all beings (metaphysics, ontology). Such a body of laws can be seen as a legally-enforced ethical code or as a "secular moral code" (to the degree that political leaders replace religious leaders as moral examples). Because lawyers and jurists more than other professions are self-regulating, almost by definition, they are often held to higher standards of behaviour or at least a stricter etiquette. These concerns are not part of this article, because those expectations and disciplines are specific to each legal code. This article takes an English-speaking point of view and deals with other legal traditions and codes by way of comparison only.
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence refers to two different things. First, in common law jurisdictions, it means simply "case law", i.e. the law that is established through the decisions of the courts and other officials. Second, it means the philosophy of law, or legal theory, which studies not what the law is in a particular jurisdiction (say, Turkey or the United States) but law in general--i.e. those attributes common to all legal systems.Jurisprudence in the second sense is conventionally divided into two parts: descriptive, or analytic, jurisprudence, and normative jurisprudence. Analytic jurisprudence studies what law 'is', normative jurisprudence studies what law 'ought to be'.
Among the most important questions of analytic jurisprudence are these: What is a law What is a legal system? What is the relationship between law and power? What is the relationship between law and justice or morality? Does every society have a legal system? How should we understand concepts like legal rights and legal obligations or duties? The most influential works of analytic jurisprudence include: Jeremy Bentham, Of Laws in General; Hans Kelsen, The Pure Theory of Law, H.L.A. Hart, The Concept of Law, and Ronald Dworkin, Law's Empire''.
Among the most important questions of normative jurisprudence are these: What is is the proper function of law? What sorts of acts should be subject to punishment, and what sorts of punishment should be permitted? What is justice? What rights do we have? Is there a duty to obey the law? What value has the rule of law? The most influential works of normative jurisprudence include all the classics of political philosophy. Among contemporary writers, the following have been particularly influential: John Rawls, A Theory of Justice H.L.A. Hart, Punishment and Responsibility; Joel Feinberg, The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law; Joseph Raz, The Morality of Freedom; Ronald Dworkin, A Matter of Principle
Codification of Law
Law is the formal codification of customs which have achieved such acceptance as become the enforced norm. The process of acceptance is accelerated by the existence of legislative bodies which seek to impose laws.Law codification involves the legislation and regulation of statutes; as well as the resolution of disputes. In the civil law system codification is also an attempt to structure the law according to fundamental ethical principles to create a sense of order and simplicity that all members of society can comprehend, not merely university trained jurists. Stating the law in simple, precise terms, understandable to the lay person without a specialized legal education, is the only way they can reasonably obey it or be fairly sanctioned for not obeying it.
This overlaps with the idea of a formal social legal code as understood in ethics. This may be understandable to the educated lay person but perhaps not to the ordinary lay person. For example, one can explain the idea of precedent more easily than that of the reasonable man, but it may be much harder to explain why precedent is "fair" to one without "higher education". The following are examples of such lay explanations of different branches of law, and theories of law.
They are not comprehensive.
Branches of Law, a sampling
Please note: Wikipedia does not give legal advice.
- Administrative law refers to the body of law which regulates bureaucratic managerial procedures and is administered by the executive branch of a government; rather than the judicial or legislative branches (if they are different in that particular jurisdiction). This body of law regulates international trade, manufacturing, pollution, taxation, and the like. This is sometimes seen as a subcategory of civil law and sometimes called public law as it deals with regulation and public institutions.
- Canon law refers to laws of the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic churches.
- Case law (precedental law) regulates, via precedents, how laws are to be understood. Case law, also called common law or judge-made law, is derived from the body of rulings made by a country's courts. In the United States, the primary source of case law relating to federal and constitutional questions is the Supreme Court of the United States. The states, each with its own final court of appeals, generate case law that is only binding precedent in that state. In countries that were once part of the British Empire the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and the House of Lords are primary sources of case law, though not necessarily binding precedent, as each country has its own court of last resort.
- Civil law has three accepted meanings:
- Secular law is the legal system of a theocratic government, such as that in England, during the reign of Henry II
- Private law seeks to regulate relationships between persons and organizations including contracts and responsible behaviour such as through liability through negligence. This body of law enforces statutes or the common law by allowing a party, whose rights have been violated, to collect damages from a defendant. Where monetary damages are deemed insufficient, civil court may offer other remedies in equity; such as forbiding someone to do an act (eg; an injunction) or formally changing someone's legal status (eg; divorce). This body of law includes the law of torts in common law systems, or in civilian systems, the Law of Obligations.
- The civilian legal system or civil law system is the general typology of legal systems found in most countries. It is an alternative to common law system and has its roots in Roman law. It is employed by almost every country that was not a colony of Great Britain. In most jurisdictions the civil law is codified in the form of a civil codes, but in some, like Scotland it remains uncodified. Most codes follow the Code Napolean in some fashion. Notably, the German code was developed from Roman law with reference to German legal tradition.
- Commercial law, often considered to be part of civil law, covers business and commerce relations including sales and business entities.
- Common law is derived from Anglo-Saxon customary law, also referred to as judge-made law, as it developed over the course of many centuries in the English courts. It is a system of law used in England, many of the states of the United States (except California and Louisiana) and other former British possessions such as in the Laws of Australia, Canada, India, and Ireland.
- Criminal law (penal law) is the body of laws which regulate governmental sanctions (such as imprisonment and/or fines) as retaliation for crimes against the social order.
- International law governs the relations between states, or between citizens of different states, or international organizations. Its two primary sources are customary law and treaties.
- Islamic law (Sharia), is derived from the Koran and used in many Middle Eastern nations; such as in the Laws of Iran and Saudi Arabia.
- Procedural Law are rules and regulations found in an legal system that regulate access to legal institutions such as the courts, including the filing of private lawsuits and regulating the treatment of defendants and convicts by the public criminal justice system. Within this field are laws regulating arrests and evidence, injunctions and pleadings. Procedural law defines the procedure by which law is to be enforced. See criminal procedure and civil procedure.
- Socialist law is the term for civil law as practiced within states of the former Soviet Union and its satellites; as well as within the Laws of China, Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam. With the end of the Cold War, most of these nations are incorporating laws compatible with private property and capitalism.
Law as academic discipline and profession
In addition to being part of the societal framework law is also an academic discipline and a profession. Lawyers are sometimes called by other names, as in England where the profession is divided between solicitors and barristers. Sometimes they are also called notaries. They are professionally trained in the United States at graduate schools of law leading to the J.D degree (Juris Doctor). In other countries legal education is considered to start at the undergraduate stage taught in faculty of law leading to the LL.B or B.C.L degrees. NOTE: In Canada at least, the LL.B. requires a previous undergraduate degree to study. Law is an undergraduate degree mainly in civil law countries. Most of these schools also have advanced legal degrees such as the LL.M and the J.S.D degrees. Many persons who attend law school never practice law but use their knowledge of law in another profession. See Law (academic) and jurisprudence For law as a profession, see lawyer, jurist and practice of law.
Further Discussion
Most laws and legal systems --at least in the Western world-- are quite similar in their essential themes, arising from similar values and similar social, economic, and political conditions, and they typically differ less in their substantive content than in their jargon and procedures.
One of the fundamental similarities across different legal systems is that, to be of general approval and observation, a law has to appear to be public, effective, and legitimate, in the sense that it has to be available to the knowledge of the citizen in common places or means, it needs to contain instruments to grant its application, and it has to be issued under given formal procedures from a recognized authority.
In the context of most legal systems, laws are enacted through the processes of constitutional charter, constitutional amendment, legislation, executive order, rulemaking, and adjudication; within Common law jurisdictions, rulings by judges are an important additional source of legal rules.
However, de facto laws also come into existence through custom and tradition. (See generally Consuetudinary law; Anarchist law.)
Law has an anthropological dimension. In order to have a culture of law, people must dwell in a society where a government exists whose authority is hard to evade and generally recognised as legitimate. People forego personal revenge or self-help and choose instead to take their grievances before the government and its agents, who arbitrate disputes and enforce penalties.
This behaviour is contrasted with the culture of honor, where respect for persons and groups stems from fear of the disproportionate revenge they may exact if their person, property, or prerogatives are not respected. Cultures of law must be maintained. They can be eroded by declining respect for the law, achieved either by weak government unable to wield its authority, or by burdensome restrictions that attempt to forbid behaviour prevalent in the culture or in some subculture of the society. When a culture of law declines, there is a possibility that an undesirable culture of honor will arise in its place.
A particular society or community adopts a specific set of laws to regulate the behavior of its own members, to order life in its political territory, to grant or acknowledge the rights and privileges of its citizens and other people who may come under the jurisdiction of its courts, and to resolve disputes.
There are several distinct laws and legal traditions, and each jurisdiction has its own set of laws and its own legal system. Individually codified laws are known as statutes, and the collective body of laws relating to one subject or emanating from one source are usually identified by specific reference. (E.g., Roman law, Common law, and Criminal law.)
Moreover, the several different levels of government each produce their own laws, though the extent to which law is centralized varies. Thus, at any one place there can be conflicting laws in force at the local, regional, state, national, or international levels.
(See conflict of laws, Preemption of State and Local Laws.)
Legal systems and traditions
Anarchist law - Canon law - Civil law - Common law - English Law - European Union Law - International law - Roman law - Scottish Law - Socialist law - Sharia (Islamic law)
Legal subject areas
Administrative law - Admiralty - Alternative dispute resolution - Appellate review - Civil procedure - Civil rights - Commercial law - Comparative law - Consuetudinary law - Contracts - Constitutional law - Courts of England and Wales - Corporations law - Criminal law - Criminal procedure - Environmental law - Equity - Evidence - Family law - Human rights - Immigration - Intellectual property - Jurisprudence - Law and economics - Law of Obligations - Labor law - Land use - List of items for which possession is restricted - Philosophy of law - Practice of law - Private law - Procedural law - Property law - Statutory law - Tax law - Torts - Trusts and Estates - Cyber law
Subjects Auxiliary to Law
Government - Legal history - Law and literature - Political science
Terms, case law, legislation and other resources
- Law topics overview
- List of jurists
- List of legal topics
- List of basic criminal justice topics
- List of international public law topics
- List of Supreme Court of Canada cases
- List of Judicial Committees of the Privy Council & House of Lords cases
- List of United States Supreme Court cases
- List of leading legal cases in copyright law
- List of treaties
- List of Uniform Acts (United States)
- List of United States Federal Legislation
Legal books
- Black's Law Dictionary
- Halsbury's Laws of England
- Corpus Juris Secundum
- Recueil Dalloz
Further Reading
- Cheyenne Way: Conflict & Case Law in Primitive Jurisprudence, Karl N. Llewellyn and E. Adamson Hoebel, University of Oklahoma Press, 1983, trade paperback, 374 pages, ISBN 0806118555
- Other books by Karl N. Llewellyn
See also
- law (principle),
- religious law,
- legal code,
- natural law
External link
- Law & Legal News & Reference
- Directory and Engine to find lawyers by area of expertise and/or by location
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Law."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
- LAW is a US Army light anti-tank weapon
- LAW is a law society called Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "LAW."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Philosophy of law is a branch of philosophy and jurisprudence which studies basic questions about law and legal systems, such as "what is the law?", "what are the criteria for legal validity?", "what is the relationship between law and morality?", and many other similar questions.
What is law?
The question that has received the most substantial attention from philosophers of law is What is law? Three schools of thought have provided rivals answers to this question:
In the twentieth century, two great legal positivists had a profound influence on the philosophy of law. On the continent, Hans Kelsen was the most influential theory, and his notion of a grundnorm or ultimate and basic legal norm is still influential. In the Anglophone world, the most influential figure was H.L.A. Hart, who argued that the law should be understood as a system of social rules. Hart's theory, although widely admired, was criticized by a variety of late twentieth century philosophers of law, including Ronald Dworkin, John Finnis, and Joseph Raz.
- Natural law theory asserts that there is an essential connection between law and morality. This view is frequently summarized by the maxim: an unjust law is not a true law.
- Legal positivism is the view that the law is defined by the social rules or practices that identify certain norms as laws. Historically, the most important legal positivist theory was developed by Jeremy Bentham, whose views were popularized by his student, John Austin. Austin's version of legal positivism was based on the notion that the law is the command of the sovereign backed by the threat of punishment.
- Legal realism is the view that that the law should be understood as it is practiced in the courts, law offices, and police stations, rather than as it is set forth in statutes or learned treatises.
In recent years, debates over the nature of law have focused on two issues. The first of these is a debate within legal positivism between two schools of thought. The first school is sometimes called exclusive legal positivism, and it is associated with the view that the legal validity of a norm can never depend on its moral correctness. The second school is labeled inclusive legal positivism, and it is associated with the view that moral considerations may determine the legal validity of a norm, but that it not necessary that this is the case. Any theory that held that there was a necessary connection between law and morality would not be a form of legal positivism.
The second important debate in recent years concerns interpretivism--a view that is strongly associated with Ronald Dworkin. An interpretivist theory of law holds that legal rights and duties are determined by the best interpretation of the political practices of a particular community. Interpretation, according to Dworkin, has two dimensions. To count as an interpretation, the reading of a text must meet the criterion of fit. But of those interpretations that fit, Dworkin maintains that the correct interpretation is the one that puts the political practices of the community in their best light, or makes of them the best that they can be.
Normative Theories of Law
In addition to the question, "What is law?," legal philosophy is also concerned with normative theories of law. What is the goal or purpose of law? What moral or political theories provide a foundation for the law? Three approaches have been influential in contemporary moral and political philosophy, and these approaches are reflected in normative theories of law:
There are many other normative approaches to the philosophy of law, including critical legal studies and libertarian theories of law.
- Utilitarianism is the view that the laws should be crafted so as to produce the best consequences. Historically, utilitarian thinking about law is associated with the great philosopher, Jeremy Bentham. In contemporary legal theory, the utilitarian approach is frequently championed by scholars who work in the law and economics tradition.
- Deontology is the view that the laws should protect individual autonomy, liberty, or rights. The philosopher Immanuel Kant formulated a deontological theory of law. A contemporary deontological approach can be found in the work of the liberal philosopher Ronald Dworkin.
- Aretaic moral theories such as contemporary virtue ethics emphasize the role of character in morality. Virtue jurisprudence is the view that the laws should promote the development of virtuous characters by citizens. Historically, this approach is associated with Aristotle. Contemporary virtue jurisprudence is inspired by philosophical work on virtue ethics.
Philosophical Approaches to Legal Problems
Philosophers of law are also concerned with a variety of philosophical problems that arise in particular legal subjects, such as constitutonal law, contract law, criminal law, and torts. Thus, philosophy of law addresses such diverse topics as theories of contract law, theories of criminal punishment, theories of tort liability, and the question whether judicial review is justified.
Related Entries
General
- Jurisprudence
- Legal positivism
- Natural law
- Legal realism
- Libertarian theories of law
- Virtue jurisprudence
Philosophers of Law
- Jeremy Bentham
- Ronald Dworkin
- H.L.A. Hart
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Philosophy of law."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In the religious sense, law has several meanings:Law can be thought of as the ordering principle of reality; knowledge as revealed by God defining and governing all human affairs.
Law, in the religious sense, also includes codes of ethics and morality which are upheld and required by God. Examples include customary Hindu law, Islamic law, and the divine law of the Mosaic code or Torah.
State churches and similar established religions are branches of the governments that establish them. In some jurisdictions, this means that they operate legal systems of their own or play a part in the legal system of those governments. Canon law is one such sort of legal system; it was administered in ecclesiastical courts. In England, the system of equity was originally established by the Church.
In Christianity, law is often contrasted with grace: the contrast here speaks to attempts to gain salvation by obedience to the code of laws, as opposed to seeking salvation through faith in the atonement made by Jesus on the cross. Compare legalism and antinomianism.
See also Law.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Religious law."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
LEGAL | English | Legal Adviser | Law |
| LEI | English | Legal expenses insurance | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonym: LegalSynonym: sound (adj). (additional references) |
| Antonym: illegal (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Dueness | Allowable; (permitted); lawful, licit, legitimate, legal; legalized; (law). |
Permission | Adjective: permitting; Verb: permissive, indulgent; permitted; Verb: patent, chartered, permissible, allowable, lawful, legitimate, legal; legalized; (law); licit; unforbid, unforbidden; unconditional. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Legal |
| English words defined with "legal": legal expert, legal fee, legal fraud, legal guardian, legal injury, legal proceeding, legal representation, legal representative. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "legal": legal act, legal adage, legal aid, legal entity, Legal Guardians, LEGAL SECRETARY, legal transaction. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "legal": Preterlegal. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Legal" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Albanian (lawful, legal), Danish (legal), German (lawful, lawfully, legal, legally), Papiamen (legal), Portuguese (bang-up, cool, enacting, honest, juridical, juristic, juristical, lawful, legal, legitimate, licit, nice, rightful, statutory), Romanian (jural, juridical, juristic, juristical, just, justifiable, lawful, lawfully, legal, legally, legitimate, licit, rightful, sound), Spanish (lawful, legal), Swedish (legal). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | My experiments are only theoretical, completely within legal boundaries (Lilo & Stitch; writing credit: Chris Sanders) Lets not forget Dude that keeping wildlife, uman amphibious rodent, forum, ya know domesticwithin the citythat ain't legal either (The Big Lebowski; writing credit: Ethan Coen; Joel Coen) Gaylord is my legal name (Meet the Parents; writing credit: Greg Glienna; Mary Ruth Clarke) I didn't pick you because of your legal skills you know (JFK; writing credit: Jim Marrs; Jim Garrison) Cole, this was a legal courthouse (The Sixth Sense; writing credit: M. Night Shyamalan) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Perfectly Legal (2002) Tudo Legal (1960) Let's Make It Legal (1951) 'Taint Legal (1940) Legal Advice (1916) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
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Books |
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Periodicals | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Pictured are rows of artificially sweetened sodas on a grocery shelf with a "saccharin warning label" in front of them. The legal banning of artificially sweetened products was prevented by consumer pressure. FDA warning labels are on such products and the consumer must make a personal decision about using these products containing saccharin. In 1997 the FDA was considering taking saccharin off the list of possible carcinogens. Credit: Linda Bartlett (photographer). |  | The "Wrecker Memorial" at Key West. Wreckers flocked to the scene of shipwrecks hoping to salvage the cargoes for their own enrichment. However, their first legal priority was to save lives. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | Caption: Bldg. 5, Legal Dept., Left to Right, Mina McArthur, Anna Klehm, Delos Holden, Alexander Elliot Is Standing; West Orange, NJ; May, 1904; {10.389/17} (jpg). |  | Caption: Page 25-12 from B-130, Drawing of Phonograph in Legal Case; July 18, 1877; {29.001/61} (jpg). |
 | Opening ceremonies at the legal centre of Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, in 1951. Modelled on the British Inns of Court / p. Credit: Library of Congress; photo by Tom W. Collins.. |  | Acts of the Choctaw Nation Bill No. 16, Resolution - Authorizing the principal chief to take legal steps to recover the value of timber [...]. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | Liberty Mutual Life Insurance Co., 444 Merrick Rd., Lynbrook, Long Island. Legal office. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Pack Square from Legal Building, Asheville, N.C. Credit: Library of Congress. |
 | The electric circus the ultimate legal entertainment experience/ / Tomi Ungerer. Credit: Library of Congress. |  | Legal holiday, Washington's birthday, February 22nd, no business transacted. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Joseph Addison | No oppression is so heavy or lasting as that which is inflicted by the perversion and exorbitance of legal authority. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Magna Carta | 1215 | If anyone has been dispossessed or removed by us, without the legal judgment of his peers, from his lands, castles, franchises, or from his right, we will immediately restore them to him; and if a dispute arise over this, then let it be decided by the five and twenty barons of whom mention is made below in the clause for securing the peace. (reference) |
John Locke | 1690 | He that hath authority to seize my person in the street, may be opposed as a thief and a robber, if he endeavours to break into my house to execute a writ, notwithstanding that I know he has such a warrant, and such a legal authority, as will impower him to arrest me abroad. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Marbury v. Madison | 1803 | To withhold his commission, therefore, is an act deemed by the court not warranted by law, but violative of a vested legal right. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | They will similarly prohibit within their territory all legal process relating to payment of enemy debts, except in accordance with the provisions of this Annex. (reference) |
Brown v. Board of Education | 1954 | The most avid proponents of the post-War Amendments undoubtedly intended them to remove all legal distinctions among "all persons born or naturalized in the United States." (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | She had several relatives, very old and near their death, of whom her sons were the legal heirs |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | In a small minority of cases, a patient will lack adequate legal capacity to consent to the proposed procedure. (references) | |
ApoE testing, and indeed all genetic testing, raises ethical, legal, and social questions for which we have few answers. (references) | ||
The survey captures data on ED episodes that are related to the use of illegal drugs or the nonmedical use of legal drugs. (references) | ||
Business | Legal rulings have been mixed. (references) | |
They too must register to have legal status. (references) | ||
The law sets the minimum legal work age at 14 years. (references) | ||
Children | Russia | Citizens' Watch conducted seminars on legal and social aspects of the problem. (references) |
Hong Kong | Legal penalties for mistreatment or neglect of minors also were increased substantially. (references) | |
Ireland | The Status of Children Act provides for equal rights for children in all legal proceedings. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Samoa | No further legal action was taken during the year. (references) |
Belgium | Successful applicants were to be granted legal residence status. (references) | |
Samoa | No legal action was taken against the person who wrote the letter. (references) | |
Discrimination | Zambia | A legal challenge to these amendments in 1996 was unsuccessful. (references) |
Saudi Arabia | There is legal and systemic discrimination based on sex and religion. (references) | |
Korea | Ethnic minorities are very small in number and face both legal and societal discrimination. (references) | |
Economic History | Indonesia | The result has been legal gridlock. (references) |
El Salvador | A. Find a legal representative or a lawyer. (references) | |
Panama | Panama uses the U.S. dollar as legal tender. (references) | |
Human Rights | Iraq | They use the Iraqi legal code. (references) |
Syria | Detainees have no legal redress for false arrest. (references) | |
Iran | It is difficult for women to obtain legal redress. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Denmark | Greenland's legal system seeks to accommodate Inuit customs. (references) |
Japan | A nonbinding accompanying resolution referred to the Ainu as a legal Japanese minority. (references) | |
Australia | The ATSIC has proposed the Government establish a Reparations Tribunal to avoid costly future legal battles. (references) | |
Minorities | Kuwait | Marriages pose special hardships because the offspring of male bidoon inherit the father's undetermined legal status. (references) |
Croatia | NGO's assisting ethnic Serbs with documentation issues continued to report that local officials applied this legal double standard. (references) | |
Georgia | Mkalavishvili publicly encouraged these latest attacks, although he did not participate due to fear of potential legal consequences. (references) | |
Political Economy | SWEDEN | The standard legal work week is 40 hours or less. (references) |
EL SALVADOR | Unions and strikes are legal only in the private sector. (references) | |
ITALY | A 1997 law reduced the legal workweek from 48 to 40 hours. (references) | |
Political Rights | Kyrgyz Republic | In a legal challenge, the courts upheld this restriction in the election law. (references) |
Peru | The JNE sets the legal parameters and rules on election-related disputes and challenges. (references) | |
Nigeria | Although Falae initially protested the election results, eventually he dropped his legal challenge. (references) | |
Trade | Singapore | The unit of legal tender is the Singapore dollar. (references) |
Bangladesh | Privately owned and operated EPZ's are now legal. (references) | |
Senegal | CFA Franc banknotes are not legal tender outside of the UEMOA. (references) | |
Travel | Cote D'ivoire | A filing fee is assessed on documents and legal transactions. (references) |
Panama | Both U.S. paper currency and coins are legal tender and circulate freely. (references) | |
Norway | One drink could put a person over the legal limit and could result in a fine. (references) | |
Women | Ecuador | Adult prostitution is legal. (references) |
Nicaragua | Prostitution is legal and common. (references) | |
Mauritania | Women still faced legal discrimination. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Jordan | Unions must be registered to be considered legal. (references) |
Seychelles | Foreign workers do not enjoy the same legal protections. (references) | |
Indonesia | If such marriages fail, the women have no legal recourse. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | SEAL, n. A mark impressed upon certain kinds of documents to attest their authenticity and authority. Sometimes it is stamped upon wax, and attached to the paper, sometimes into the paper itself. Sealing, in this sense, is a survival of an ancient custom of inscribing important papers with cabalistic words or signs to give them a magical efficacy independent of the authority that they represent. In the British museum are preserved many ancient papers, mostly of a sacerdotal character, validated by necromantic pentagrams and other devices, frequently initial letters of words to conjure with; and in many instances these are attached in the same way that seals are appended now. As nearly every reasonless and apparently meaningless custom, rite or observance of modern times had origin in some remote utility, it is pleasing to note an example of ancient nonsense evolving in the process of ages into something really useful. Our word "sincere" is derived from sine cero, without wax, but the learned are not in agreement as to whether this refers to the absence of the cabalistic signs, or to that of the wax with which letters were formerly closed from public scrutiny. Either view of the matter will serve one in immediate need of an hypothesis. The initials L.S., commonly appended to signatures of legal documents, mean locum sigillis, the place of the seal, although the seal is no longer used -- an admirable example of conservatism distinguishing Man from the beasts that perish. The words locum sigillis are humbly suggested as a suitable motto for the Pribyloff Islands whenever they shall take their place as a sovereign State of the American Union. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Alexander Benedetto | There you have privy counsel attorneys. They have a different legal system where they have barristers and solicitors. But the barrister will be presenting the case before the House of Lords of five-judge panel. |
Bill Maher | Those are legal. But marijuana has so far killed none that I've ever known. So I keep saying if we want to legalize marijuana, we have got to start having people drop dead from it. |
Dennis Miller | Believe me, I can put together quite a legal team where I am going. |
Leslie Van Houten | Well, most of it was going to court. But I worked as a legal secretary. I spent a lot of time with my family and at the beach, you know. I like being around nature. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | Legal process was therefore delivered to the marshal against the rioters and delinquent distillers. |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | Our coasts have been infested and our harbors watched by private armed vessels, some of them without commissions, some with illegal commissions, others with those of legal form, but committing practical acts beyond the authority of their commissions. |
James Madison | 1809-1817 | During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. |
John Quincy Adams | 1825-1829 | Licentious blockades, irregularly enlisted or impressed sea men, and the property of honest commerce seized with violence, and even plundered under legal pretenses, are disorders never separable from the conflicts of war upon the ocean. |
Andrew Jackson | 1829-1837 | Commerce with all is fostered and protected by reciprocal good will under the sanction of liberal conventional or legal provisions. |
Woodrow Wilson | 1913-1921 | Sanitary laws, pure food laws, and laws determining conditions of labor which individuals are powerless to determine for themselves are intimate parts of the very business of justice and legal efficiency. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | For the first time in history the legal culpability of war makers is being determined. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | We also need clear and quick passage of a new charter to define the legal authority and accountability of our intelligence agencies. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | The bill will include legal and regulatory reforms and weapons to fight unfair trade practices. |
George W. Bush | 2001-2005 | Dozens of agencies charged with homeland security will now be located within one Cabinet department with the mandate and legal authority to protect our people. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Legal" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 99.99% of the time. "Legal" is used about 13,090 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 99.99% | 13,089 | 699 |
| Total | 100.00% | 13,090 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Country | Name |
| United Kingdom | Legal & General Group Plc |
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "legal": a legal instrument ♦ be legal ♦ be legal tender ♦ by legal means ♦ give legal counsel ♦ in legal parlance ♦ in legal vacuum ♦ institute legal proceedings ♦ institute legal proceedings against ♦ legal act ♦ legal action ♦ legal adage ♦ legal administration response in civil proceedings message ♦ legal adoption ♦ legal adviser ♦ legal advisor ♦ legal age ♦ legal aid ♦ legal alcohol limit ♦ legal assistance ♦ legal assistant ♦ legal basis ♦ legal beagle ♦ Legal blindness ♦ legal body ♦ legal brief ♦ Legal cap ♦ legal capacity ♦ legal case ♦ Legal Cases [Publication Type] ♦ legal claim ♦ legal code ♦ legal community ♦ legal competence ♦ legal constraints ♦ legal cooperation ♦ legal counsel ♦ legal currency ♦ legal department ♦ legal document ♦ legal domicile ♦ legal duty ♦ legal eagle ♦ legal effects ♦ legal entitlement ♦ legal entity ♦ legal expenses ♦ legal expert ♦ legal fee ♦ legal fiction ♦ legal force ♦ legal fraud ♦ legal grounds ♦ legal guardian ♦ Legal Guardians ♦ legal holiday ♦ legal immunity ♦ legal incapacity ♦ legal injury ♦ legal instrument ♦ legal interest rate ♦ legal justification ♦ legal language ♦ legal matter ♦ legal measures ♦ legal medicine ♦ legal numbering ♦ legal offence ♦ legal opinion ♦ legal order ♦ legal ouster ♦ legal penalty ♦ legal permission ♦ Legal person ♦ legal philosophy ♦ legal power ♦ legal practice ♦ Legal Practice Course ♦ legal practitioner ♦ legal principle ♦ legal proceeding ♦ legal proceedings ♦ legal profession ♦ legal quibble ♦ legal rate ♦ legal redress ♦ legal relation ♦ legal relations ♦ legal remedy ♦ legal representation ♦ legal representative ♦ legal research ♦ legal responsibility ♦ legal right ♦ legal rulings ♦ legal secretary ♦ legal separation ♦ legal sounds ♦ legal status ♦ legal step ♦ legal system. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "legal": legal-aid, legal-constitutionalism, legal-constitutionalists, legal-democratic, legal-eagle, legal-formal, legal-looking, legal-rational, legal-size, legal-specific, legal-style, legal-theoretical. | |
Ending with "legal": constitutional-legal, extra-legal, medical-legal, non-legal, politico-legal, pre-legal, quasi-legal, rational-legal, semi-legal, socio-legal. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
legal form | 2,922 | legal question | 312 |
legal | 2,576 | pre paid legal | 308 |
barely legal | 2,143 | legal case | 305 |
free legal form | 1,831 | legal issue | 303 |
legal advice | 1,478 | legal seafood | 299 |
legal document | 1,276 | legal research | 296 |
legal job | 1,219 | legal contract | 289 |
free legal advice | 1,151 | legal definition | 282 |
legal aid | 1,034 | barely legal teen | 279 |
legal service | 1,018 | legal name change | 278 |
legal dictionary | 975 | pre paid legal services | 277 |
prepaid legal | 957 | legal software | 258 |
legal separation | 693 | legal nurse consultant | 242 |
legal employment | 627 | legal highs | 241 |
legal terms | 564 | legal steroid | 237 |
legal help | 547 | prepaid legal services | 233 |
free legal document | 531 | legal secretary | 206 |
street legal | 434 | condition disney.go.com legal use.html | 189 |
legal will | 426 | barley legal | 180 |
legal information | 385 | corporate disney.go.com legal privacy.html wdig | 169 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "legal"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | legal (lawful), juridik (juristic, juristical), i ligjshëm (forensic, judicial, lawful, true), i ligjit, i drejtësisë (juridical, juristic, juristical), gjyqësor (judicial, judiciary, juridical, magisterial). (various references) | |
Arabic | قانوني (fair, jural, jurist, juristic, lawful, legist, legitimate, licit, rightful, statutory, valid), تشريعي (legislative, statutory), جائز شرعا, شرعي (de jure, judicial, judiciary, lawful, legitimate, prima facie, rightful, true, valid). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | юридически (judicial, jural, juridical, juristic, juristical, justiciary), отнасящ се до мойсеевия закон, законен (allowable, jural, lawful, legitimate, licit, sound, vested, warrantable), легален, правен (juristic, juristical, law), позволен (allowed, innocent, licit, permissible, permited). (various references) | |
Chinese | 法律 (A-law, law, Laws, statutory), 合法 (lawful, legitimate). (various references) | |
Czech | legitimní (legitimate), legální (lawful, legitimate, licit), zákonný (legitimate, rightful, statutory), zákonitý (lawful, rightful), soudní (decretory, judicial, juridical), právní (juristic, juristical, legitimate). (various references) | |
Danish | legal. (various references) | |
Dutch | wettig, legaal, gewettigd. (various references) | |
Esperanto | laŭleĝa. (various references) | |
Farsi | مشروع (Lawful, Legitimate, Loyal, Rightful), قانونی (Canonical, Juridical, Lawful, Legitimate, Standard, Statutory, Valid), حقوقی (Juridical), شرعی (Canonical, Judicial(Ary), Juridical). (various references) | |
Finnish | lakimääräinen (fixed by law, lawful), lainopillinen (judicial, juridical, law), laillinen (lawful, legitimate, valid), oikeudellisesti pätevä (valid in law), oikeudellinen (judicial, juridical). (various references) | |
French | légitime (legitimate). (various references) | |
German | rechtmäßig (allowable, lawful, lawfully, legally, legitimate, rightful, rightfully, sound), rechtlich (honest, legally, upright, upstanding), legal (lawful, lawfully, legally). (various references) | |
Greek | νόμιμοσ (lawful, legitimate, licit, rightful), νόμιμος (aboveboard, lawful, legitimate, licit), νομικόσ (jurist, law, lawyer). (various references) | |
Hebrew | משפטי (forensic, judicial, juridical, lawful, statutory), ל'לי, חוקי (lawful, legit, legitimate, licit). (various references) | |
Hungarian | törvényes (juridical, lawful, legitimate, licit, rightful, statutory, to take legal measures), jogos (equitable, just, justifiable, lawful, legitimate, righteous, rightful), jogi (judiciary, juristic, juristical, to incorporate). (various references) | |
Indonesian | sah (lawful, legitimate, rightful), absah (legitimate, rightful). (various references) | |
Italian | legittimo (just, lawful, legitimate, perfect, righteous, rightful, unobjectionable), legale (attorney at law, institutional, judicial, judiciary, jurisprudential, lawful, lawyer, legally, solicitor). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 立派 (elegant, fine, handsome, imposing, legitimate, prominent, splendid), ラ欄 (league, leaguer, leak, leak detector, leek, radio listings), 法律上 , 法定 (designated by law), 正規 (established, formal, legitimate, regular), 正"性 (proper), 天下晴れて (right and proper), 合法的 (in order, lawful, legitimate, low-abiding), 合法 (lawful, legality). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | リーガル , ほうりつじょう, ほうてい (courtroom, dedication, designated by law, gift, great distance, long cruise, presentation), せいとうせい (proper), せいき (animation, century, Christian era, consciousness, era, essence, established, formal, genital, happen, legitimate, life, life energy, occurrence, prosperous period, regular, sanity, soberness, spirit, take place, true character, true heart, true spirit, verve, vigor, vitality), "うほうてき (in order, lawful, legitimate, low-abiding), "うほう (armful, fate, frank, gradational salary, inevitable retribution, karma effects, largehearted, lawful, legality, signal gun, unaffected), りっぱ (elegant, fine, handsome, imposing, legitimate, prominent, splendid), て"かはれて (right and proper). (various references) | |
Korean | 법. (various references) | |
Manx | rere yn leigh (according to law, lawful), leighoil (lawful, legislative, legitimate), leighagh (litigious). (various references) | |
Norwegian | lovlig (lawful). (various references) | |
Papiamen | legal. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | egallay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | legítimo (apparent, authentic, fit, just, lawful, legitimate, rightful, true-born, warrantable, wedded), legal (bang-up, cool, enacting, juridical, juristic, juristical, lawful, legitimate, licit, nice, rightful, statutory), lícito (lawful, licit, permissible), válido (available, effectual, lawful, minion, valid), jurídico (judicial, judiciary, juridical, juristic, juristical), de acordo com a lei. (various references) | |
Romanian | legitim (justified, lawful, legitimate, right, rightful), legal (jural, juridical, juristic, juristical, just, justifiable, lawful, lawfully, legally, legitimate, licit, rightful, sound), oficial (approved, authoritative, authorized, ceremonial, coldly, conventional, conventionally, formal, formally, governmental, inspired, official, officially, state, stiffly), juri, curent (course, current, daily, draught, flow, fluent, fluently, flux, generally, instant, popular, prevailing, prevalent, race, readily, routine, ruling, running, stream, swift, tide, trend, usual, usually). (various references) | |
Russian | юридический (judicial, juridical, juristic, juristical, legalistic). (various references) | |
Scottish | teachd (accession, arrival, coming). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | legalan (above board), zakonit (lawful, legitimate, rightful), sudski (forensic, judicial, judiciary, juridical, justiciable, justiciary), pravni (juridical, juridicial, juristic, juristical, law), pravilan (correct, regular, right). (various references) | |
Spanish | legal (lawful). (various references) | |
Swedish | rättslig (judicial, judiciary, jural, juridical, juristic, juristical), laglig (lawful, legitimate, licit, sound). (various references) | |
Thai | เกี่ยวกับกฎหมาย (jural, juridical), ไ"้รับอนุญาตตามกฎหมาย, ถูกต้องตามกฎหมาย (just). (various references) | |
Turkish | yasal (clean, competent, de jure, juridical, juristic, juristical, lawful, legit, legitimate, licit, right, rightful, solemn, sound, statutory, technical, valid), tüzel (corporate, incorporate, incorporated, judical, juridical), resmi (authorized, ceremonial, ceremonious, certificated, civil, formal, official, regulation, solemn, starchy, state, statutory), kanuni (lawful, lawgiver, lawmaker, statutory), hukuki (judicial, juristic, juristical), hukuk (juristic, juristical, jus, law), adli (forensic, judicial, juridical). (various references) | |
Turkmen | kanuny (legitimate, natural). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | юридичний (juridic, juridical, juristic, juristical), судовий (forensic, judicial, judiciary, juridic, juridical, magisterial), законний (allowable, juristic, juristical, justiciary, lawful, legitimate, licit, nomothetic, recognized, rightful, true, vested), правовий. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | hợp pháp (lawful, licit). (various references) | |
Welsh | deddfol (lawful), cyfreithlon (lawful, legitimate), cyfreithiol. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | canonicus, contractum, forensis, forensis, e, legalis. (various references) |
| Avestan | 200-600 | dâitîm. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "legal": legalese, legaleses, legalise, legalised, legalises, legalising, legalism, legalisms, legalist, legalistic, legalistically, legalists, legalities, legality, legalization, legalizations, legalize, legalized, legalizer, legalizers, legalizes, legalizing, legally, legals. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "legal": extralegal, illegal, medicolegal, nonlegal, paralegal, prelegal. (additional references) | |
Words containing "legal": extralegally, illegalities, illegality, illegalization, illegalizations, illegalize, illegalized, illegalizes, illegalizing, illegally, illegals, paralegals. (additional references) | |
| |
"Legal" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: alegal, begal, cleggan, egal, elal, eleal, Elgol, Flegel, glagol, lagal, lagial, Lagle, Lawal, Laygal, lbga, leag, leagal, leagle, ledal, lega, legali, legals, legaly, legalz, legan, Legat, legay, legell, leggat, legila, legile, legl, legle, legoy, Leguay, legwax, leuga, leval, lexal, lezal, liga, ligat, Liggat, Lingla, llegal, logle, luga, lugal, lugar, Lugol, megal, plagal, Plegel, segal, vegal, wegal. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "legal" (pronounced lē"gul) |
| 5 | l ē" g u l | extralegal, illegal, paralegal. |
| 4 | -ē" g u l | beagle, eagle, Spiegel, regal. |
| 3 | -g u l | algal, angle, antifungal, bagel, bangle, bedraggle, boggle, Bogle, boondoggle, bugle, centrifugal, commingle, conjugal, dangle, Dingle, disentangle, entangle, finagle, frugal, fungal, gaggle, giggle, goggle, gurgle, haggle, Spangle, squiggle, straggle, strangle, struggle, swingle, tangle, Ingle, intermingle, jangle, jiggle, jingle, juggle, jungle, Kugel, madrigal, Mangel, mangle, milligal, mingle, mogul, mongol, Ogle, prodigal, rectangle, shingle, single, smuggle, snuggle, tingle, toggle, triangle, untangle, wangle, wiggle, wrangle, wriggle. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-g-l-l" | |
-1 letter: egal, gale, gall, leal. | |
-2 letters: age, ale, all, ell, gae, gal, gel, lag, lea, leg. | |
-3 letters: ae, ag, al, el, la. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-g-l-l" | |
+1 letter: allege, begall, galled, gallet, galley, legals, ullage. | |
+2 letters: agilely, alleged, alleger, alleges, allegro, allergy, allonge, begalls, collage, gabelle, galilee, gallate, gallein, galleon, gallery, galleta, gallets, galleys, gallied, gallies, gazelle, gelable, gellant, gluteal, illegal, kleagle, langley, langrel, largely, legally, ligulae, millage, pillage, regally, seagull, sullage, tallage, tillage, tollage, ullaged, ullages, village. | |
+3 letters: aiguille, allegers, alleging, allegory, allegros, allergen, allergic, allergin, allonges, ballgame, bargello, begalled, blackleg, collaged, collagen, collages, collegia, diallage, flagella, flagless, flagpole, gabelled, gabelles, galilees, gallates, galleass, galleins, galleons, galleria, galletas, galleted, galloped, galloper, gallused, galluses, gavelled, gazelles, gellants, genially, glabella, gladlier, glandule, goalless, gravelly, grillade, grillage, guerilla, gullable, illegals, kleagles, labeling, langleys, langrels, legalese, legalise, legalism, legalist, legality, legalize, ligulate, longleaf, megillah, millages, nonlegal, pelagial, pellagra, pillaged, pillager, pillages, prelegal, seagulls, shigella, smallage, spillage, sullages, tallaged, tallages, tillages, tollages, tollgate, ungalled, villager, villages, zoogleal. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Historic 10. Quotations: Fiction 11. Quotations: Non-fiction 12. Quotations: Spoken | 13. Quotations: Speeches 14. Usage Frequency 15. Names: Company Usage 16. Expressions | 17. Expressions: Internet 18. Translations: Modern 19. Translations: Ancient 20. Abbreviations | 21. Acronyms 22. Derivations 23. Rhymes 24. Anagrams | 25. Bibliography |
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