Webster's New World Law Dictionary  »

Legal Editor Susan Ellis Wild has been a practicing attorney since 1982, when she graduated with honors from George Washington University Law School. She is a litigator who is admitted to practice in several states, and frequently serves as an independent arbitrator/mediator of cases at the request of courts and private parties. She is the co-author of the Unofficial Guide to Getting a Divorce, 2nd Edition (Wiley, 2005), which she wrote with her ex-husband. She is currently President of the Bar Association of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

The Plain-English Legal Dictionary for Anyone Who Wants to Understand the Often Incomprehensible Terminology



Law has a language all its own. Webster's New World Law Dictionary translates it clearly. Written in plain English, it's much easier to understand than typical legal documents. It's up-to-date and comprehensive, with:
* Clear, concise, and accurate definitions of more than 4,000 legal terms
* Coverage of terms from all areas of law, including criminal law, contracts, evidence, constitutional law, property law, and torts
* Common abbreviations, foreign words and phrases, and a full copy of the United States Constitution, including the Bill of Rights and all subsequent amendments
* Definitions of newer terms such as alternative minimum tax, three strikes law, and assisted suicide


In addition to those in the legal field, this desk reference is invaluable to journalists, researchers, lay people dealing with legal issues, and even those who simply want to use legal terms correctly in order to make their points more convincingly.

Part I: Dictionary.

Part II: Appendices.

Abbreviations.

Foreign Words and Phrases.

The Constitution of the United States.