If you need to know the legal meaning of a term, you can consult a legal dictionary or a type of finding tool called Words and Phrases.
These two types of resource have distinct use cases:
- Legal dictionary: tells you the meaning of a legal word or phrase (e.g. fiduciary duty).
- Words and Phrases: tells you the legal meaning of a word or phrase as interpreted by the courts. Often used for words that have commonly understood definitions but may have a specific meaning developed through jurisprudence.
For instance, you probably already know the generally understood definition of the word person, but you may need to consult a Words and Phrases resource to find out whether the term has been interpreted by the courts to refer to entities other than humans in your context.
