alienation of affections
Convincing a wife to leave her husband, often for another man, causing the husband to lose conjugal relations.

alimony
Support paid by one ex-spouse to the other as ordered by a court in a divorce (dissolution) case. Alimony is also called "spousal support" in California and some other states.

aliquot
(al-ee-kwoh) adj. a definite fractional share, usually applied when dividing and distributing a dead person's estate or trust assets. See also: share

all the estate I own
A phrase from a poorly drafted will which means the possessions owned by the deceased at the moment of death, not when the will was written. See also: will.

allegation
A statement of claimed fact contained in a complaint (a written pleading filed to begin a lawsuit), a criminal charge, or an affirmative defense (part of the written answer to a complaint).

allege
To claim a fact is true, commonly in a complaint which is filed to commence a lawsuit, in an "affirmative defense" to a complaint, in a criminal charge of the commission of a crime or any claim. See also: allegation.

alter ego
A corporation, organization or other entity set up to provide a legal shield for the person actually controlling the operation. Proving that such an organization is a cover or alter ego for the real defendant breaks down that protection, but it can b ...