Legal phrases are required learning for any Law entrance exam. Most phrases are derived from old Latin and Greek words, as we shall see.
Legal Phrases
| Certiorari | higher court order quashing lower court order |
| Coup d’état | violent or illegal change |
| De facto | in fact |
| De jure | in law |
| De novo | afresh |
| Decree | order of court made after hearing the parties |
| Doli incapax | incapable of committing crime |
| Emeritus | retired after long service |
| En masse | in a body |
| En route | on the way |
| Ex aequo et bono | in justice and good faith |
| Ex curia | out of court |
| Ex debito justitiae | on account of justice |
| Ex officio | by virtue of office |
| Ex parte | in the absence of one party |
| Ex post facto | acting retrospectively |
| Ex tempore | without preparation |
| Infra | below |
| Inter alia | among other things |
| Laissez faire | doctrine of non – interference by the state |
| Habeas corpus | May you have the body |
| Ipso facto | By the fact itself |
| Intra vires | Within the powers |
| Lex loci | The law of the place |
| Locus standi | Place of standing |
| Mala fide | (In) bad faith |
| Mandamus | We command |
| Mens rea | Guilty mind |
| Modus operandi | Manner of operation |
| Mutatis mutandis | Having changed [the things that] needed to be changed |
| Nota bene | note well |
| Nudum pactum | naked promise |
| Pater familias | father of the family |
| Post mortem | after death |
| Prima facie | at first face |