Do you speak legalese? If you answered no, you are part of the vast majority. Although legal terms do not constitute a language of their own, reading judicial jargon can feel like interpreting hieroglyphics. However, family matters are topics that touch most people very closely. Therefore, this can serve as motivation to seek understanding of the tedious language of the law.

Speaking with an attorney who can interpret the law and guide you through its implications is best when you are facing a legal matter. However, familiarizing yourself with certain concepts of family law can help you engage in a productive conversation with your attorney so that together you can chart the path forward.

Abandonment
Action
Refers to an action or act. In family law, action often means initiating legal proceedings or taking legal action.
Address
- Address ‘State your address.’
  It refers to an address or location.
- Address ‘Address the court with respect.’
  It refers to the act of treating a person or addressing a person to speak.
Advocate
- Advocate (noun):
  Refers to a person who actively supports and promotes the interests or cause of another person, group, or entity.
- Advocate (verb)
  It refers to the act of furthering the interests of another person, group, or entity.
Alimony – Spousal Support or Spousal Maintenance
It refers to the spousal support or alimony that one spouse must pass on to the other spouse after a divorce if this is determined during the divorce decree.
Appeal
Appearance
It refers to appearing in court in response to a summons or court order. It also includes complying with legal processes such as providing documents or written answers requested by the court.
Attorney
In Texas, an attorney must be registered with the State Bar of Texas. They are also known as lawyers . Government-employed public defenders who are assigned in criminal cases are called public defenders.
Bail
Bail refers to a sum of money that a defendant or defendant pays to the court as a guarantee that they will appear in court at a future date. If a person does not honor their agreement to appear in the future, the court can keep the money that has been given in bail.
Bond
It is an agreement to pay the court if a defendant in a criminal case fails to comply with the conditional release from custody by law enforcement agencies.
Book
In legal terms, it refers to the act of entering information about a suspect in a criminal case after his or her arrest. Filing processes can vary by jurisdiction.
Bound
When an individual is said to be ‘bound by the law' it means that he is limited to the parameters of the law. It can also refer to being bound by the parameters described in a current contract.
Caregiver
A caregiver refers to a person responsible for providing the essential types of care to a minor or disabled adult.
Child Support
Child support is the lump sum of money that a noncustodial parent must pay to the parent with primary custody. Child support can also include other needs such as health insurance.
Claim
- Insurance claim
  A request for payment or coverage that is submitted to insurance.
- Legal Claim
  A claim in the context of a lawsuit is a fact-based allegation that presents the details of a violation of one or more rights, thereby forming a cause for legal action or complaint.
Challenge or Recusal
A challenge or recusal refers to challenging or expressing doubt about the legality or veracity of an action or thing or about a person's qualifications for a particular function or task.
Common Law Marriage or Informal Marriage
It is also known as Marriage Without Formalities or Informal Marriage. It refers to a marital union recognized by the state as a marriage even if they have not been legally married.
Community Property
Refers to property acquired by one or both spouses and belonging to both.
Complaint
A complaint is the document that is submitted to the court to initiate a case against another person or entity. Although it is called a lawsuit in Spanish, it should not be confused with the meaning of demand in English since demand has other implications.
Continuance
It refers to the court's decision to postpone legal action within a case until such date as the judge indicates.
Custody or Conservatorship
Custody Schedule or Possession and Access Schedule
It refers to the legal custody agreement that dictates how a child's time is divided between their parents or custodians.
Deadline
This is the date on which the time limit expires. This can refer to the time you have to file a claim known as a statute of limitations or the deadlines the court dictates to comply with the court schedule set in the case during the Pretrial order.
Decree
It is an order emitted by a judge to resolve an issue in a court case.
Deed
A deed, in some cases also referred to as a title, is a legal document that shows ownership of property.
Demand
Refers to the action of requesting by force or under the authority of law.
- Demand Letter
  A documentthat describes a dispute between two parties and demands that the party receiving the demand letter issue a payment, take some action, or cease any action. Lawsuits are usually written by an attorney on behalf of their client with the intent to begin the process of resolving a conflict or dispute.
Dependent
It refers to people who are financially dependent on someone else.
Discovery
Discovery is a phase in the development of a court case. It involves the process of gathering evidence used by the parties involved in a dispute. It may include requests submitted to the court in the form of interrogatories (a series of written questions that must be submitted completed), requests for documents such as records, photos, and identifying information that confirms the identity of the parties, and other data relevant to the case. The discovery process may also include requesting affidavits that could be written, recorded, or live, as ordered by the court in your case.
Docket
A docket is the list of all proceedings, documents submitted to court, and deadlines in a case.
- Court Docket – List of Hearings and Deadlines
  It refers to the list of hearings and deadlines for compliance that will soon expire in cases that the court is actively hearing. It is intended to help the court keep accounts of multiple cases. Usually the docket includes the case number, the history of the case outlining all the actions and events that occurred in the legal process of the case, the date of the decisions, orders entered and documents filed in the case, the name of the court where the case is being heard, the issues raised in the case and the names of the parties involved.
Duty
Duties are obligatio...

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