legal procedure
Formal judicial steps
Legal procedure is the formal process by which legal matters move through the court system—the sequence of steps, rules, and requirements that govern how cases are filed, argued, and decided.
It covers everything from filing deadlines to rules of evidence to proper courtroom conduct.
Lawyers distinguish procedure from substantive law: procedure is *how* cases proceed; substantive law is *what* rights and duties exist.
The case was dismissed on a procedural technicality.
- verdictOfficial court decision
- objectionExpression of disapproval
- trialJudicial examination of claims
- bench trialCourt case, judge only
- affidavitSworn written statement
exhibit · sworn testimony · admissibility · discovery · judge · arraignment · plea bargain · chain of custody · habeas corpus · deposition · voir dire · opening statement · cross-examination · closing arguments · pleadings · sentencing · lawyer · summons
- Roman LawRoman law, Corpus Juris Civilis, Justinian Code, Twelve Tables, Digest
- lawlaw, lawyer, lawyers, attorney, attorneys
- civil lawproperty disputes, Napoleonic Code, litigation, damage claims, codification
- legal historymedieval law, Roman law, Roman jurisprudence, common law, civil law
- appellate courtsappellate court, appeals court, court of appeals, circuit court, appeal hearings
- Byzantine LawCorpus Juris Civilis, Justinian Code, Digest
legal procedurevigilante justice
Unauthorized punishment by civilians
mob justice · backroom deal · taking the law into one's own hands · gentleman's agreement · private arrangement
legal procedurelawlessness
Absence of governing rules
lynch mob · unlawful conduct · vigilantism · kangaroo court · summary execution
legal procedurechaos
Complete disorder and confusion
anarchy · arbitrariness · caprice · whim · snap decision
legal, process, illegal, procedure, precede, legalize, procedures, precedent, legalized