american depository receipt
Called in the banking trade an ADR, it is a receipt issued by American banks to Americans as a substitute for actual ownership of shares of foreign stocks. ADRs are traded on American stock exchanges and over-the-counter easily without the necessity ...

amicus curiae
Latin for "friend of the court," a party or an organization interested in an issue which files a brief or participates in the argument in a case in which that party or organization is not one of the litigants.

amnesty
A blanket abolition of an offense by the government, with the legal result that those charged or convicted have the charge or conviction wiped out. Examples: a) the amnesty given to Confederate officials and soldiers after the Civil War, or b)

amortization
A periodic payment plan to pay a debt in which the interest and a portion of the principal are included in each payment by an established mathematical formula.

ancillary administration
Administration of an estate's assets in another state. An "ancillary administrator" is chosen by the executor or administrator of an estate to handle the property (primarily real estate) of the deceased's estate in a state other than the on ...

ancillary jurisdiction
A term used in federal courts when the court decides matters not normally under federal jurisdiction so that it can give a judgment on the entire controversy, when the main issue is a federal matter which it is authorized by law to determine.

and
conj. this little word is important in law, particularly when compared to or. Most commonly it determines if one or both owners have to sign documents.