Glossary beginning with P

P.O. Box
Post office box, an individual box for mail at a post office
To release someone from punishment for a crime they were convicted of committing
The relationship between a parent and a child
Parental responsibilities
How parents will make significant decisions, spend time with, and care for their child, formerly known as "custody"
Parenting plan
A document that says which parent will make what decisions for the child, where the child will live, and when each parent will spend time with the child
Parenting time
Time spent between a parent and a child, formerly known as "visitation"
A release from prison that allows someone to serve time outside of prison as long as he or she follows certain conditions
A document that lets a person travel outside the country
The person who will receive payment
A person who makes a payment
A type of document that can be viewed and printed with software called Adobe Reader
Money paid to a person by an employer during retirement
When someone promises to tell the truth, and then tells a lie
Personal jurisdiction
The authority of the court to make a decision that affects the parties in the case
(noun) A written request to a court (verb) To request from a court
A person who makes a written request to a court
A person that files a lawsuit
A person's formal answer of guilty, not guilty, or no contest to the charges against them
Plenary order of protection
A request granted by a judge telling an abuser to stop further domestic abuse, after both parties present their arguments
Police report
When a police officer writes a description of what happened at an accident
A court decision made in an earlier case which establishes a rule that judges will typically follow when deciding a similar case
Preliminary injunction
An order issued by a judge that stops the defendant from doing a certain activity
Money that must be paid every month, such as for health insurance
Prenuptial agreement
An agreement made before marriage that says how issues of support and property will be resolved when the marriage ends
Presiding judge
In a court with more than one judge, the judge that acts as the leader of the court's business
Presiding justice
In a court with more than one justice, the justice that acts as the leader of the court's business
Pro bono
Legal work done for little or no cost
Pro se
Pronounced 'pro say,' a person who does not have a lawyer
The type of court process where a person's property is given out after they die
When a person who has been convicted of a crime is released from jail but still has to follow certain rules
Process server
Someone other than a sheriff who serves a summons
Proof of service
A form that says that court papers were given to someone in a court case
Protected class
Groups of people who get special protection against discrimination
Public defender
A free lawyer appointed by the criminal court when a defendant cannot afford to pay for a lawyer
Punitive damages
Money awarded in a case meant to punish a losing party, usually above the real cost of the injury
Putative father registry
A list of men who have registered as possibly being the father of a child within 30 days of the child's birth