Glossary

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  • Abatement: To reduce, diminish or temporarily suspend.
  • ADC or AFIC: Abbreviation for Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Replaced by Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or Financial Independence Program (FIP).
  • Adjournment: The postponing or putting off of a case or session of court until another time or place.
  • Adjudication: A final judicial determination by the giving of a judgment or a decree in a civil case.
  • Adoption: The act by which a person takes the child of another into his or her own family and makes the child, for all legal purposes, his or her own child.
  • Adversary Proceedings: Actions contested by opposing parties.
  • Affidavit A written statement of fact that is verified by oath or affirmation.
  • Aid to Families with Dependent Children: A program of public assistance to families, administered in Michigan by the Family Independence Agency. Replaced in Michigan by the Financial Independence Program (FIP), also called Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) by the federal government.
  • Alimony: See spousal support.
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution: A method to resolve disagreements without the direct intervention of the court. See Arbitration, Conciliation, Mediation.
  • Amended Order of Probation: Used to add or delete information contained in the original Order of Probation, as recommended by the judge or probation officer.
  • Appeal: An application to a higher court requesting a change of the judgment of a lower court.
  • Appearance:
    • Coming into court: The formal act by which a defendant submits to the jurisdiction of the court.
    • Document identifying one who is representing himself or another. An attorney files an "appearance" making it known that (s)he is representing an individual.
  • Appellate Court: A court that reviews lower court decisions, generally on the record of the lower court.
  • Arbitration/Binding Mediation: A procedure for the determination of a disputed matter. Legally binding, as opposed to mediation.
  • Arraignment: A court hearing at which the defendant is informed of the specific criminal charges for which he or she is being charged. This is the first step in your case being processed by the court.
  • Arrearage: Money that is overdue and unpaid.
  • Attorney: A lawyer; a person admitted to legal practice who is qualified to represent the legal interests of another person.