Understanding Court Terms
Reading about legal matters and Court processes can mean coming across unfamiliar words and abbreviations. The links below can help you look up and hopefully understand some of this terminology.
State Court Glossary
The State Court's Self-Help website has an English legal glossary with many legal terms, listed in alphabetical order. The glossary is also available in Spanish.
Local Rule Abbreviations
Our Local Rules of Court use many abbreviations. Some of these abbreviations are used also used in other places on this website. The link below will take you to a page of abbreviations, in order by Court division.
Local Rule Glossary of Abbreviations
Probate and Adoption Terms
On our website we have a page of terms used in Probate matters (such as trusts, wills, etc.), and another page with some definitions of words that relate to adoption (such as alleged parent). If you are involved in these kinds of cases, these definitions may help you when you are reading legal information and/or working with the Court.
Legal Glossaries Online
American Bar Association Glossary
United States Courts Glossary
National Association for Court Management Glossary of Terms
University of Denver Law School Legal Glossary