InglesLegal

  InglesLegal | Week 1 — September 2026 Legal English Vocabulary: Essential Civil Litigation Terms Welcome back to IngLesLegal ! Each week we dig into the legal English you need to work confidently at an international firm. This week we open the month with twenty foundational civil litigation terms — the words you'll encounter in any complaint, answer, or judgment written in English. For each term, you'll find: the meaning, English synonyms, the corresponding Spanish term, the branches of law where it's most commonly used, and a real example. 1. Plaintiff Meaning: the person or party who initiates a lawsuit, alleging harm and seeking a remedy from the court. English synonyms: claimant (more common in the UK), complainant , petitioner (in certain proceedings). Spanish equivalent: demandante (also: actor , accionante , parte actora ). Law branches: civil law, procedural law, tort law, labor law. Example: "The plaintiff filed a complaint alleging b...