Champertous Agreement

Definition

A contract where a third party finances litigation in exchange for a percentage of the settlement or judgment—now illegal in most jurisdictions. It's the legal equivalent of loan-sharking for lawsuits.

Example Usage

That financing arrangement with the litigation funder looked suspiciously champertous to me.

Origin

Medieval English law; from 'champart' (sharing of crops)

Fun Fact

Modern litigation funding has created a grey area around what constitutes illegal champerty

Source: Legal ethics and history

Related Terms

Advanced

champerty and maintenance

Unethical practices where someone finances another's lawsuit in exchange for a share of the proceeds (champerty) or meddles in litigation without legitimate interest (maintenance). Once common law crimes, now mostly historical curiosities.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

solicitation

In legal terms, the act of asking, urging, or downright begging someone to commit a crime, which is itself a crime even if they never do it. It's like being arrested for asking your friend to rob a bank, whether they actually rob it or tell you to get lost. Prosecutors love it because they can nail you before anyone actually does anything stupid.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

Admissibility

Whether evidence can be presented in court and considered by the jury. The gatekeeper question: can the jury even hear this?

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

Assumption of Risk

A defense against negligence liability when someone voluntarily accepts a known danger. 'You knew the risks and did it anyway,' the law says.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

advocate

A professional arguer who gets paid to passionately champion causes, clients, or cases they may or may not personally believe in. These persuasion specialists range from courtroom lawyers arguing legal technicalities to policy wonks lobbying for legislation to activists fighting for social change. The term conveniently sounds more noble than "hired gun" while describing essentially the same function.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

summons

A legal document commanding your presence in court, delivered with all the warmth of a parking ticket. Unlike a simple invitation, this is one party you can't RSVP 'no' to without facing serious consequences. Think of it as the judicial system's way of saying 'we need to talk' but with enforcement mechanisms.

⚖️ Legal

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