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Act: the written law of a country, also called a statute. An Act sets out legal rules, and has normally been passed by both Houses of Parliament in the form of a Bill and agreed to by the Crown.

Adjournment: a temporary postponement of legal proceedings.

Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council (AJTC): the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council keeps under review the administrative justice system as a whole with a view to making it accessible, fair and efficient. It seeks to ensure that the relationships between the courts, tribunals, ombudsmen and alternative dispute resolution providers satisfactorily reflect the needs of users.

Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS): the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service aims to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations. It provides up-to-date information, independent advice, high quality training and works with employers and employees to solve problems and improve performance.

Advocate: lawyer appearing in a court of law.

Advocate General, European Court of Justice (AG ECJ): there are eight Advocates-General, who present independent and impartial legal opinions on the cases assigned to them. They can question the parties involved and then give their opinion on a legal solution to the case before the judges give their judgment. Five of the eight Advocates-General are nominated by the five big member states of the European Union: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain. The other three positions rotate in alphabetical order between the 22 smaller member states.

Aggravating: factors making a situation worse. For example, burglary is aggravated in the eyes of a court if the burglar is armed, or injures someone while committing the offence.

Alibi: a defence that someone accused of a crime was not there at the time and could not have committed the offence.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): methods of resolving disputes which do not involve the normal trial process.

Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBO): these are court orders which prohibit specific anti-social behaviours. An ASBO is issued for a minimum of two years, and can ban an offender from visiting certain areas, mixing with certain people or carrying on the offending behaviour. Despite being issued by a court, an ASBO is a civil order, not a criminal penalty - this means it won't appear on an individual's criminal record. However, breaching an ASBO is a criminal offence punishable by a fine or up to five years in prison.

Appeal: a formal request to a higher court that the verdict or ruling of a court be changed.

Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL): the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) is a not-for-profit organisation, which exists to fight for the rights of injured people.