f
Legal definitions for terms and concepts beginning with f

Facial Mapping
An identification technique which distinguishes unique facial characteristics of an individual.
Facilitate
To make easy or less difficult.
Factum
The written summary of a litigant's position to be taken and expounded upon in a judicial proceeding, including a concise summary of relevant facts and law and brief arguments with reference to authorities where applicable.
Faint Hope Clause
Canada criminal law: a term in a 25 year prison term that salvages a remote possibility that the individual may be paroled prior to the full completion of the term of incarceration.
Fair Comment
A comment made which though defamatory, is not actionable as it is an opinion on a matter of public interest.
Fair Dealing
A limited exception to the exclusivity of intellectual property allowing fair critique or private study use of the protected material, and with appropriate acknowledgement.
Fair Market Value
The hypothetical most probable price that could be obtained for a property by average, informed purchasers.
Fair Use
A statutory exemption to copyright for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.
Falsa Demonstratio Non Nacet
A wrong description of an item in a legal document (such as a will) will not necessarily void the gift if it can be determined from other facts.
False
An intentional or accidental untruth.
False Arrest
The intentional and total confinement of a person against his will without lawful justification.
False Imprisonment
Intentional and total imprisonment of a person against his or her will and without lawful justification.
Family
The central, fundamental unit of society responsible for the primary development and socialization of children.
Fascism
A form of government which is authoritarian, oppressively conservative, who believe in the supremacy of the stated national group, and which, at least initially, purports to vest law-making and administrative authority in the hands of workers or their organizations.
Fatwa
A legal opinion given by an Islamic law specialist on a specific question.
Fault
A breach of duty or negligence and, in some circumstances, the errors or omissions of others or of things under a person's control.
Federalism
A system of government which has created, by written agreement, a central and national government to which it has distributed specified legislative (law-making) powers, and called the federal government, and regional governments (or sometimes called provinces or states) governments to which is distributed other, specified legislative powers.
Federal Paramountcy
A doctrine of constitutional law which gives priority to the application of a federal statute where those terms conflict with the operation of a provincial statute.
Fee
A legal right in land; or a money payment to purchase a service or a right.
Fee Simple
The most extensive tenure allowed under the intestate. In many common law jurisdictions, land is held in fee simple: as close as one can get to absolute ownership.
Fee Tail
A form of ownership which passes onto successive lineal descendants of the owner.
Felonious Homicide
The killing of a human being without justification or excuse.
Felony
A serious crime for which the traditional punishment is prison for more than a year, or death.
Feme Covert
French: a married woman.
Feme Sole
French: an unmarried woman.
Fence
A structure which encloses real property, wholly or partially, to impede entry and exit.
Ferae Naturae
Latin: wild in nature; usually in reference to wild animals such as monkeys or lions.
Feudal System
A social structure that existed throughout much of Europe between 800 and 1400 and that revolved around a multi-level hierarchy between lords (who held land granted under tenure from the king), and their tenants (also called 'vassals').
Fiat
A shortly-worded and short-form, often truncated, Court order.
Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum
Latin: do justice though the heavens fall.
Fidelity Rebate
Offering loyalty rebate program to select customers.
Fiduciary
A legal duty of loyalty and faithfulness towards another.
Fieri Facias
Latin: that you cause to be made. Mostly used to refer to a writ of judgment enforcement obtained under the old common law of England.
Fifth Amendment
A US Constitution article which provides fundamental rights in regards to legal process such as the immunity in regards to self incrimination.
Final Order
An order or judgment of the Court that finally disposes of the rights of the parties.
Fiqh
The law of Islam. Also spelled fikh.
Firefighters' Rule
Public safety officers have no claim for injuries suffered during the performance of their duties on the premises of a hazard, even if intentionally created.
First Amendment
The amendment to the US Constitution which sets out freedom of expression.
First Degree Murder
The unlawful killing of another human being with malice, premeditation and deliberation.
First In, First Out Rule
Each withdrawal in an account, made without particulars, is presumed to be a return of all or part of the oldest deposit.
Fishing Expedition
A speculative demand for information without any real expectation about the outcome of the demand or its relevance to the litigation.
Fixed Trust
A trust in which a beneficiary has an entitlement to a fixed income.
Fixtures
A chattel which has become real property by having been affixed thereto.
Flesch Reading Ease Test
A legalese test against which insurance contracts are assessed.
Flood Waters
Waters which escape from a watercourse in great volume and flow over adjoining lands in no regular channel.
Flotilla Principle
A method of calculating the ceiling of liability in the event of loss while ships are under tow, using the tonnage of all ships in the flotilla.
Flotsam
Things found floating on the sea, issue from a ship that has been lost.
F.O.B.
Acronym for 'free on board'; a contract whereby the seller of goods agrees to absorb the costs of delivering the goods to the purchaser's transporter of choice.
Folstein MMSE
Summary exam used to assess dementia.
Fool
A human being in form but destitute of reason from birth.
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