Glossary

Arraignment: A court procedure where the court informs the accused of the criminal charges them and determines the initial amount of bail.

Bail: The amount of money that an accused must post to get out of jail. Bail can be cash (only cash is accepted) or surety (bail bondsmen can be used).

Contingency Agreement: An agreement between you and the attorney that says the attorney will get paid a percentage of what money they can recover for you on your case. If there is no recovery, the attorney earns nothing. However, costs associated with a case are usually separate from the percentage paid to an attorney.

Due Process: A constitutional right that all people have, which guarantees that they cannot be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

Felony: A crime that carries a prison term of at least one year.

Indictment: When a grand jury determines that you should be formally charged with a crime, they issue a list of charges called an Indictment.

Medical Lien: Most physicians, doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors and other medical care professionals will treat clients without requiring payment up front and will wait until the case has been resolved against the at fault driver.

Medical Payment Coverage: This is additional coverage that a client has usually purchased beforehand from their own auto insurance policy. Often called “Med Pay”, a client can have their own auto insurance policy cover costs of their medical treatment.

Miranda Warnings: A set of legal warnings that police officers must give suspects in custody if they would like to question the suspects and later be allowed legally to use the answers to those questions as evidence in court.

Misdemeanor: A crime that carries a jail term of less than one year.

Perjury: The act or an instance of a person’s deliberately making material false or misleading statements while under oath.

Probable Cause: The legal standard by which a police officer has the right to make an arrest, conduct a search of someone of their property, or obtain a warrant for arrest. Probable cause requires facts or evidence that would lead a reasonable person to believe that a suspect has committed a crime.

Search and Seizure: A constitutional right that all people have, which places limits on the power of the police or other government agencies to make arrests, search people and their property, and take objects objects and contraband (such as illegal drugs or weapons).

Sentence: The punishment given to a person convicted of a crime. A sentence is ordered by the judge, based either on the trial jury’s verdict or the judge’s decision if there was a deal taken by the person.

Statute of Limitations: The time within which a party can file a lawsuit and sue the at fault driver. Accident victims have two years from the date of the accident in Nevada to file a lawsuit.

Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverage: This is additional coverage that a client has usually purchased beforehand from their own auto insurance policy.

Often referred to as “UM/UIM”, a client can have their own auto insurance policy cover whatever medical bills and property damage that the at fault driver’s auto insurance policy doesn’t cover. Also, it can used if the at fault driver is uninsured or flees the scene of the accident.

Vicarious Liability: A legal theory that holds an employer responsible for the wrongful acts of its employees while on duty.

Warrant: A formal written order approved or signed by a judge or magistrate, allowing police the right to search someone’s car or house or to arrest someone.

Writs: An order from a higher court to a lower court or to a government official (like a warden or sheriff) to comply with a decision.