You’ve heard it in just about every courtroom drama ever made. An attorney shouts, “I object!” and suddenly the scene gets intense. Or you may have seen parodies of courtroom objections in movies and TV. But what does “I object” mean? Why do lawyers say it? As we put the finishing touches on our legal [...]

As we continue our series on legal jargon, today we’ll be explaining what “contempt of court” means. So, maybe you’ve heard that phrase in Law and Order or from the movie Liar Liar (1997). Wherever you’ve come across it, it’s important to know so you are prepared for the customs and practices of your trial. [...]

So we’ve covered plausible deniability, reasonable doubt, habeas corpus, and mens rea. But there’s plenty more basic legal jargon to cover! However, not all of it deserves its own post. So let’s knock out some of the more basic ones, shall we? In this week’s post, we’ll cover terms like plaintiff, defendant, motion, ruling, and [...]

“Mens rea.” Maybe you’ve heard that term thrown around involving your case. Maybe you remember it from this scene in Legally Blonde (2001). What is mens rea? What does it have to do with the law? What significance might it play in your case? As we continue our Mark W. Catanzaro blog series on legal [...]

Continuing with our series of blogs on courtroom concepts and lingo, today we’ll be looking at "habeas corpus." You’ve probably heard this term before, but what does it mean? What is habeas corpus? It is a Latin term that literally means “bring forth the body.” However, it doesn’t have to do with dead bodies or [...]

Last week we covered “plausible deniability.” This week we’re covering a related topic: reasonable doubt. What does this mean? How does New Jersey law define it? How does the court apply it? These are important questions if you’re going to understand your own trial and how an effective attorney might handle your case. So, if [...]

Sometimes in the court of law, it’s not about proving that the defendant didn’t do something. Sometimes it’s about proving that no one can know whether the defendant did something or not. In our legal system, people are “innocent until proven guilty.” In other words, if someone comes against criminal accusations, the court has to [...]

Everyone knows the policeman’s motto, “Protect and serve.” Most of us have had generally positive experiences when interacting with law enforcement. But not everyone. Although police exist to protect and serve their communities, sometimes an officer can cross the line, if not even become abusive. If you’ve experienced New Jersey police misconduct, what can you [...]

Fighting for a fair contract can be exhausting. You need a contract negotiation attorney by your side who is not only shrewd and cunning, but also persuasive and eloquent. You need someone who can stand unyielding for your rights, but also can convince the other side to see it your way. So, where do you [...]