Account (or accounting): A statement of financial condition, most commonly in a probate estate; the accounting shows the income received by the estate and the expenses incurred.

Appeal: A proceeding in which a higher court reconsiders a lower court's decision.

Attachment: The securing of a judgment by way of seizing a person's property. Most commonly this is accomplished by recording a Writ of Attachment with the registry of deeds.

Automatic Stay: Once bankruptcy has been filed, the automatic stay prevents creditors from continuing to try to collect from the debtor. It is an order in the form of an injunction from the bankruptcy that orders all creditors to cease all collection activities.

Case Law: Past cases that have been decided and reported within a specific jurisdiction (state).

Chapter 7: In bankruptcy, a Chapter 7 is a liquidation case, as opposed to a reorganization under Chapter 11 or Chapter 13. In a Chapter 7 case, the debtor surrenders all non-exempt property to the bankruptcy trustee who is responsible for selling the assets and distributing the proceeds to creditors.

Civil case: A noncriminal court proceeding, also known as a lawsuit.

Closing: The consummation or completion of a real estate transaction.

Common Law: Law that is derived from judicial or court decisions, as opposed to statutes.

Complaint: The first filed court document that starts a civil proceeding. Also, the formal charge in a criminal proceeding.

Condominium: A system of individual ownership in a multiple unit dwellings.

Defendant: The person who has been sued in a civil proceeding or the person who has been charged with a crime in a criminal proceeding (criminal proceeding defendant also known as "the accused").

Deposition: An out of court statement that is reduced to writing or recorded that can be used later in trial or for discovery purposes.

Discovery: The act of learning something or uncovering information that was previously unknown to a party in a court case.

District Court: The lower level trial court in New Hampshire, it handles misdemeanors, traffic violations, lawsuits of limited amounts and juvenile cases.

Estate: A legal entity that has certain assets and liabilities. Usually used in bankruptcies, when the bankrupt estate must be liquidated for the benefit of creditors, or in the context of probate estates.

Exemption (or exempt property): Property that is exempt is not available to creditors in a lawsuit. Exempt property under New Hampshire law includes, among other things, $100,000 of value in one's homestead, one sewing machine, one cook stove, one heating stove, one refrigerator and "one pew in any meetinghouse."

Felony: A crime which is punishable by more than one year in jail.

Financial Affidavit: A signed statement to the court showing to the current financial position of the signer. It shows a person's income and expenses and assets and debts.