There are three main types of adverse interests.
An adverse interest can mean an interest, claim or right that is against another’s interest. For example, a plaintiff and defendant have adverse interests. A witness with...THE LEGAL PROCESS
adverse party
An adverse party is the other side of a lawsuit, the opposite party, one with opposing interests. If there are numerous parties and claims, parties may be in agreement on some matters and adverse on some issues.
For example...
adverse possession
Adverse possession is a doctrine under which a person in possession of land owned by someone else may acquire valid title to it, so long as certain requirements are met, and the adverse possessor is in possession for a sufficient period of...
adverse witness
An adverse witness, sometimes referred to as a hostile witness, is a witness who identifies with the opposing party because of a relationship or a common interest in the outcome of the litigation.
For example, in a criminal...
advisory opinion
An advisory opinion is a court's nonbinding interpretation of law. It states the opinion of a court upon a legal question submitted by a legislature, government official, or another court. Parties seeking advisory opinions tend to do so to...
advocacy of illegal action
The advocacy of illegal action is a category of speech not protected by the First Amendment. It is also sometimes referred to as the advocacy of illegal conduct.
First addressed in Whitney v. California (1927), the Supreme...
advocate
The term advocate functions as a noun and a verb.
As a noun, an advocate (pronounced "ad-vuh-kit") is an individual who actively supports and promotes the interests of another person or enterprise.
As a...
affiant
An affiant is a person who is the author of an affidavit, who swears to the truth and accuracy of the statements made in the affidavit.
The person making the signed statement (affiant) takes an oath that the contents are...
affidavit
An affidavit is a sworn statement a person makes before a notary or officer of the court outside of the court asserting that certain facts are true to the best of that person’s knowledge. Affidavits by both plaintiff/prosecution and defense...
affirm
There are several, related usages of the word “affirm” in a legal context; but, generally it means “to confirm or ratify.” Common occurrences of this word include:
An appellate court can affirm the ruling that was the subject of the appeal...