Latin legal maxims and phrases are very important for advocacy. Latin legal terms are useful when you express a long sentence in a short form. I love Latin maxims a lot. Many exams like the Judicial service commission when taking exams to appoint judges they include Latin terms in the question.
Today I am sharing with you some most important Latin maxims and phrases with you. But, 136 of them I am searing with you. All will be given in a very short time.
- A communi observantia non est recedendum: There should be no departure from ordinary rules.
- A verbis legis non recedendum est: The words of the law must not be departed from.
- Accessorium non ducit sed sequitur suum principale: The accessory does not lead but follows its principal.
- Accusare nemo se debet, nisi coram Deo: No one is in duty bound to accuse himself unless before God. In certain cases a witness is not compelled to answer, if by so doing he would incriminate himself.
- Acquitas agit in personam: Equity acts in person
- Actio personalis moritur cum persona: A personal action dies with the person.
- Acta exteriora indicant interiora secreta: Overt acts make known latent thoughts, or Acts indicate the intention.
- Ars longa, vita brevis: Art is long and life is short.
- Actor sequitur forum rei: The plaintiff follows the forum of the defendant.
- Actori incumbit onus probandi: The burden of proof lies on the plaintiff or on the complainant.
- Actus curiae neminem gravabit: The act of the Court shall prejudice no man.
- Actus Dei nemini facit injuriam: The act of God causes injury to no one. Storms, tempests, and the like, are acts of God, being inevitable accidents not caused by man.
- Actus legies nemienie est damnosus: The Act of the law is hurtful to no one.
- Actus legitimi non reciunt modum: An act of law shall prejudice no man.
- Actus me invito, non est meus actus: An involuntary act is not one’s own act, i.e., an act done against one’s will is not such persons act.
- Actus non facit reum, nisi mens sit rea: The act itself does not make a man guilty, unless his intention be so.
- Ad questiones facit non respondent judices; ad questiones juris non respondent juratores: A judge does not decide questions of fact, the jury do not decide questions of law.
- Adatu: From the date
- Adversus extraneous vitiosa possessio prodesse solet: Prior possession is a good title of ownership against all who cannot show a better.
- Aequitas est quasi aequalitas: Equity delighteth in equality
- Aequitas factum habet quod fieri oportuit: Equity considers that as done which ought to be done.
- Acquitus sequitur legem: Equity follows the law
- Agentes et consentientes pari poena plectautur: Acting and consenting parties are liable to the same punishment
- Alienatio rei praefertur juri accrescendi: Law favours alienation rather than accumulation.
- Aliud est celare, aliud tacere: Silence and concealment are not the same.
- Allegans contraria non est audiendus: A person adducing to the contrary is not to be heard.
- Ambiguitas contra stipulatorem est: An ambiguity is taken against the party using it.
- Ambiguitas verborum patens nulla verificatione excluditur: A patent ambiguity of the words cannot be removed by extrinsic evidence.
- Animus hominis est anima scripti: The intent of a man is the essence of his writing
- Apices juris non sunt jura: The law must avoid the falsehood of extreme
- Aqua cedit solo: Water passes with the soil.
- Aqua currit et debet currere: Water flows and should be allowed to flow.
- Assignatus utitur jure auctoris: An assignee is clothed with the rights of his principal.
- Audi alteram partem: Hear the other side (ie., Do not condemna man unheard).
- Anegans contraria non est audiendus: One who contradicts himself is not to be heard.
- Auctori incumbit onus proband: The onus of proof lies on theplaintiff.
- Bello parta cedunt reipublicae: Things captured in war belong to State
- Bellum ominium contra ommes: Everybody is at war with everybody else
- Benignae faciendae sunt interpretationes chartarum, ut res magis valeat quam pereat: Constructions of documents are to be made favourably, that the instrument may rather avail than perish.
- Bis dat qui cito dat: He gives twice who gives quickly.
- Boni judicis est ampliare jurisdictionem: It is the part of a good judge to enlarge his jurisdiction
- Boni judicis est judicium sine dilione mandare exceutioni: It is the duty of a good judge to order judgment to be executed without delay
- Boni judicis est lites dirimere ne lis ex lite: It is the duty of goodjudge to prevent litigation.
- Bonis non amovendis: That the goods be not removed
- Breve judiciale non credit pro defectu formae: A judicial writ fails not through defect of form.
- By stander: One who stands fear, a chance looker-on
- ** Capias ad audiendum judicium: That you take to hear judgment
- Causa causans: Proximate cause.
- Causa falsa: Due to error.
- Causa non secuta: Failure of consideration
- Causa proxima non remota spectatur: The immediate, not theremote cause, is to be considered
- Causam nobis significes quare: A writ to a mayor of a town.
- Caveat emptor qui ignorare non debuit quod jus alienum emit: Let a purchaser beware; no one ought in ignorance to buy that which is the right of another
- Caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware (who ought not to be ignorant what he buys from another)
- Caveat venditor: Let the seller beware
- Censor: One who examines publications, films and the like for objectionable content
- Cessante causa, cessat effectus: When the cause ceases the effect ceases also.
- Cessante ratione legis, cessat ipsa lex: The reason of the law being at an end, the law itself ceases. – Steele.
- Charta de non ente valet: A deed about a non-existent thing is not valid
- Chirographum apud debitorem repertum praesumitur solutum: A deed found with a debtor is presumed to be satisfied, or when a person is in possession of a document under which he is bound. to pay money, then a presumption arises that he had paid the-Jowitt
- Chose-in-action: An actionable claim.
- Civitas dei: Commonwealth of God
- Civitas maxima: Community of civilised mankind
- Civitas terrena. Mundane (worldly) commonwealth
- Clausulae inconsuetae semper inducunt suspicionem: Unusual clatises always excite suspicion.
- Cogitationis poenam nemo meretur: The thoughts and intents of men are not punishable
- Cognovit actionem: He had admitted the action.
- Commodum ex injuria sua nemo habere debet: No one should have an advantage from his own wrong.
- Communis error facit jus: A precedent, even though erroneous, will make valid law, if its authority has been so widely accepted and relied on that its reversal has become inexpedient in the interests of justice.- Salmond
- Compendia sunt dispendia, et melius est petere fontes quam sectari rivulos: It is ever good to rely upon the book a large, for many times.
- Compossessio: Common possession.
- Compulsa: A judicial attested copy of a testimonio
- Conditio sine qua non: A condition without which the matter cannot be or Necessary condition
- Consensus tollit errorem: Consent removes a mistake;
- Consentientes et agentes pari poena plectentur: The abettor and the doer receive the same punishment
- Constitutum possessorium: Transfer of mediate possession, while the immediate possession remains in the transfer (by an agreement touching possession).
- Constructio legis, non fecit injurium: Construction of the law causes no injury.
- Consuetude ex certa causa rationabili usitata privat communem legem: A custom based on a certain reasonable foundation abrogates the common law. or A custom grounded on a certain reasonable cause supersedes the common law-Steele 81)
- Consuetudo loci est observanda: Custom of a place must be observed
- Consuetudo pro lege servatur: Custom is protected by the law.
- Consuetudo semel reprobata non potest amplius induci: A custom when once disallowed cannot be relied upon.
- Contemporanea exposito est optima et fortissima in lege: A contemporaneous interpretation is the best and strongest in law.
- Contra non valentem agere nulla currit praescriptio: No prescription runs against one unable to act. Prescription does not run against a party who is unable to act.
- Contra proferentem: In interpretation of a document the principle that an ambiguity should be interpreted in the sense unfavorable to the party who drafted and put forward the document.
- Contractus ex turpi causa, vel contra bonos mores, nullus est action: A contract arising from a base consideration, or against morality, is void. Such as betting or wagering contract.
- Copulatio verborum indicat acceptationem in eodum sensu: The joining of words shows that they are to be understood in the same sense.
- Corpus delicti: The body i.e. the gist of the offence
- Corpus juris canonic: Canon law; law governing the Church
- Corpus possidendi: Physical possession of material object
- Cuicunque aliquis quid concedit, concedere videtur et id sine quo res ipsa esse non potuit: Whoever grants a thing is deemed also to grant that without which the grant itself would be of no effect
- Cuilibet in sua arte perito est credendum: Each one skilled in his own art is to be believed, or Credence should be given to one skilled in his particular profession.
- Cujus est dare, ejus est disponere: Whose it is to give, his it is todispose;
- Cujus est divisio, alterius est electio: When one divides, the other has the right of first choice.
- Cujus est polum, ejus est usque ad coelum et ad inferos: Whose is the land, his also is all which above and below it.
- Culpa lata dole equiparatur: Gross negligence is equivalent to intentional wrong.
- Cum confitente sponte, mitius est agendum: He who willingly confesses, should be dealt with more leniently.
- Cum duo inter se pugnantia reperiuntur in testamento ultimum ratum est: Where two repugnant clauses (or statements) occur in a will, the latter shall prevail.
- Curator: A temporary guardian appointed by court to care for property or person of a minor
- Curia advisare vult: Court desires to consider. In difficult cases judgment is frequently reserved.
- Curia parliamenti suis propriis legibus subsistitit: The court of parliament is governed by its own peculiar laws
- Cursus curiae est lex curiae The practice of the court is the law of the court
- Custos morum: Custodian of marality
- Damage feasant: To whom damage is done
- Damnum absque injuria: Loss od damage which does not amount to legal wrong, loss or damage without legal injury
- Damnum infectum: Loss not yet sufferred but only apprehended
- Damnum sentit dominus: The Lord suffers the damage
- Damnum sine injuria esse potest: All damages done is not wrongful
- De arbitratione facto: A writ issued when an action was brought for a cause already settled by arbitration.
- De bonis asportasis: Wrongful taking of goods (in case of trespass).
- De fide et oflacio juridicis non recipitur quaestio, sed de scientia sive sit error juris sive facti: The decision of a judge may be impugned only for error either in law or of fact, but his honesty of purpose or office cannot be questioned.
- De minimis non curat lex: The law cares not about mere trifles.
- Debita sequuntur personam detaitoris: Debts follow the debtor’s person.
- Debite fundamentum fetill opus: When the foundation falls everything falls
- Debitor non praesumitur donare: A debtor is not presumed to give.
- Debitum et contractus sunt nullius loci: Debts and contracts are of no place
- Deficiente uno non potest esse haeres: There being no unity of blood, one cannot be heir.
- Delegata potestas non potest delegari: A delegate cannot further delegate
- Delegatus non potest delegare: An agent cannot delegate his authority.
- Delicatus debitor est odiosus in lege: An extravagant debtor is contemned in the eye of the law.
- Delict: Wrong; tort
- Deolo malo pactum se non servabit: A pact made with malicious intent will not be upheld
- Deprivativa potestas non potest esse major primitive: Derived power cannot be greater than that from which it is derived
- Deus solus haeredem facere potest, non homo: God alone able to make an heir and not man.
- Dies Dominicus non est juridicus: Sunday is not a day for judicial proceedings.
- Dies inceptus pro complete habetur: A day begun is held as complete.
- Dolosus versatur in generalibus: A deceiver deals in generalities
- Dolus auctoris non nocket sucessori: The fraud of a predecessorprejudices not his successor.
- Dolus malus: Wrongful intent
- Dominus protempore: Not the owner of the property but temporarily in possession of it.
- Domus sua cuique est tutissimum refugium: To every man his own house is the safest refuge
- Dona clandestina sunt semper suspiciosa: Clandestine gifts are always suspicious.
- Donatio non praesumitur: A gift is not presumed.
- Donatio perficitur possessione accipientis: A gift is perfected by the possession thereof by the donee.
- Dormiunt aliquando leges, nunquam moriuntur: Although the laws sometimes sleep, they never die.
- Duo non possunt in solido unam rem possidere: Two cannot possess the whole of one thing in specie.
- Similibus idem est judicium: Decisions of the contemporaneous superior courts should be respected
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