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O

Definitions for legal terms and law concepts beginning with O
Oath
A religious or solemn affirmation to tell the truth or to take a certain action. - (see definition)
Obiter dictum
Latin: an observation by a judge on a matter not specifically before the court or not necessary in determining the issue before the court; a side opinion which does not form part of the judgment for the purposes of stare decisis - (see definition)
Obligee
The person who is to receive the benefit of someone else's obligation. - (see definition)
Obligor
A person who is contractually or legally, committed or obliged, to providing something to another person (the obligee). - (see definition)
Obscenity
An elusive concept used in the context of criminal law to describe a publication which is illegal because it is morally corruptive. - (see definition)
Obstructing justice
An act which tends to impede or thwart the administration of justice. - (see definition)
Occupational Rent
A matrimonial or joint tenant property compensatory claim based on an allegation that one spouse or joint tenant ought to be debited the value of her or his exclusive occupation of the family or jointly-held home. - (see definition)
Offense
A crime; any act which contravenes the criminal law of the state in which it occurs. Spelled offence in Commonwealth countries. - (see definition)
Offer
A explicit proposal to contract which, if accepted, completes the contract and binds both the person that made the offer and the person accepting the offer to the terms of the contract. - (see definition)
Oligarchy
A form of government in which a few persons rule and govern by assuming all legislative and administrative authority. - (see definition)
Ombudsman
A person whose occupation consists of investigating customer complaints against his or her employer. Many governments have ombudsmen who will investigate citizen complaints against government services. - (see definition)
Omnibus bill
A draft law before a legislature which contains more than one substantive matter, or several minor matters which have been combined into one bill, ostensibly for the sake of convenience. - (see definition)
Onus
Latin: the burden. It is usually used in the context of evidence. - (see definition)
Open-ended agreement
An agreement or contract which does not have an ending date but which will continue for as long as certain conditions, identified in the agreement, exist. - (see definition)
Order
A formal written direction given by a member of the judiciary; a court decision without reasons. - (see definition)
Ordinance
An executive decision of a government which has not been subjected to a legislative assembly (contrary to a statute). It is often detailed and not, as would be a statute, of general wording or application. - (see definition)
Orphan
A person who has lost one or both of his or her natural parents. - (see definition)
Out-of-court settlement
An agreement between two litigants to settle a matter privately before the Court has rendered its decision. - (see definition)

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Unless otherwise noted, this article was written by Lloyd Duhaime, Barrister, Solicitor, Attorney and Lawyer (and Notary Public!). It is not intended to be legal advice and you would be foolhardy to rely on it in respect to any specific situation you or an acquaintance may be facing. In addition, the law changes rapidly and sometimes with little notice so from time to time, an article may not be up to date. Therefore, this is merely legal information designed to educate the reader. If you have a real situation, this information will serve as a good springboard to get legal advice from a lawyer.

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