Law & the Legal System Vocabulary

Part 1: Law & the Legal System Collocations

Collocations are words that naturally go together. These phrases are common when talking about law & the legal system.

Collocation	Example	Meaning
file a lawsuit	"The company filed a lawsuit against its competitor."	Formally start legal action
legal loophole	"They exploited a legal loophole to avoid tax."	A gap or ambiguity in the law
out-of-court settlement	"They reached an out-of-court settlement."	An agreement made without a trial
breach of contract	"Missing the deadline was a breach of contract."	Failing to follow a contract's terms
bring charges	"Police decided not to bring charges."	Formally accuse someone of a crime
binding contract	"It's a binding contract, so you can't back out now."	A legally enforceable agreement

Collocation	Example
legal representation	"Everyone has the right to legal representation."
court order	"She obtained a court order against her neighbour."
plead guilty	"He pleaded guilty to the charges."
burden of proof	"The burden of proof lies with the prosecution."
cross-examine a witness	"The lawyer will cross-examine the witness tomorrow."

1. The company __________ a lawsuit against its competitor.

2. They exploited a legal __________ to avoid tax.

3. They reached an out-of-court __________.

4. Missing the deadline was a breach of __________.

5. Police decided not to bring __________.

Idioms add colour and natural expression to your English when talking about law & the legal system.

the letter of the law – following rules exactly and strictly "He followed the letter of the law, even though it seemed unfair."
above the law – not subject to legal rules "No one is above the law."
beyond a reasonable doubt – a very high standard of proof in court "The jury found him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
get off scot-free – avoid punishment completely "He got off scot-free despite the evidence."
take the law into your own hands – act illegally to enforce justice yourself "He took the law into his own hands and confronted the thief."
read someone their rights – inform someone of their legal rights on arrest "The officer read him his rights before the arrest."

1. He followed the __________ of the law, even though it seemed unfair.

2. No one is above the __________.

3. The jury found him guilty beyond a reasonable __________.

4. He got off scot-__________ despite the evidence.

5. He took the law into his own __________.

These phrasal verbs are commonly used when talking about law & the legal system.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example
look into	investigate	"The police are looking into the matter."
get off	avoid punishment	"He got off with just a warning."
throw out	dismiss a case	"The judge threw out the case due to lack of evidence."
crack down on	enforce rules more strictly	"Police are cracking down on speeding."
draw up	prepare a legal document	"Our solicitor will draw up the contract."

Throw out is used specifically for dismissing legal cases, not general rejection.

Crack down on implies increased enforcement of existing rules.

Get off (with a punishment) is informal, common in spoken English about court outcomes.

1. The police are __________ into the matter.

2. He __________ off with just a warning.

3. The judge __________ out the case due to lack of evidence.

4. Police are __________ down on speeding.

5. Our solicitor will __________ up the contract.

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Order in the court! You've mastered legal vocabulary!