Making Legalese Legal-EZ
Besides English, they say the best two languages to learn for understanding the law are Latin and Greek. So unless you’ve gone to law school, the language spoken in a court of law or written in a contract may be so complex that it’s – as they say – practically Greek to the average person.
The thing is: the average person has just as much need of the law as anyone else. If not more so.
What rights does the average person have after being injured in an auto accident? What rights do you have after getting injured due to the negligence of a faceless multinational corporation?
The fact of the matter is, you have enumerated rights and knowing some of the more commonplace vernacular can help you understand and contribute to the legal process.
Most auto insurance companies would prefer you weren’t aware of your legal rights or make them more difficult to find and read than a Microsoft Service Agreement.
Over the course of a lifetime, those rights add up. Especially, if you find yourself involved in a personal injury lawsuit.
Whether you’re the defendant or the plaintiff – and even if you already have an attorney – it’s a good idea to have a working knowledge of the legal terms that may be used in your case.
At The Lobb Law Firm, we believe in educating our clients as well as aggressively representing their best interests. We understand that not everyone the background to recognize legal or medical terminology. That’s why we’re making it easier to find quick, simple definitions to your questions about legal lingo.
Our team of attorneys and paralegals have compiled a glossary of words that commonly require defining. Here are a few quick examples:
Added Damages
Damages that are added on to the amount that is actually due or damages that are added as a punishment for the defendant. Added damages is sometimes called smart money.
Benefit Triggers
The conditions that must be met before any benefits are paid to the party.
Damages
A pecuniary compensation or indemnity, which may be recovered in the courts by any person who has suffered loss, detriment, or injury, whether to his person, property, or rights, through the unlawful act or omission or negligence of another.
Income Replacement Benefits
Income replacement is the process of replacing lost income, due to factors such as extended rehabilitation or a permanent injury. The goal of income replacement is to substitute some other source of income for at least a portion of the lost income, usually enough to allow the individual to continue enjoying a standard of living that is similar to what he or she has enjoyed prior to the injury. Depending on the lifestyle of the individual, this usually means seeking income replacement that amounts to anywhere between sixty and ninety percent of the previous income.
Quality of Life
The daily activities that people undertake that have been enhanced by external factors. These relate to how well a person with a disability is able to live as near to normal life as possible following an accident.
We’re Here to Help
For a complete list of personal injury legal terms, please visit our glossary.
Of course, if you have questions that require more than a word definition, you should really speak to one of The Lobb Law Firm’s attorneys. Be sure to call our office for help, or complete a contact us form below.
