Justice System Members

Interlinked Thematic Vocabulary Unit Nº 316 v.03

      Courthouse People

1. Attorney General |UK| |n| the principal legal officer who represents the Crown or a state in legal proceedings and gives legal advice to the government.
2. attorney 1 |n| a person who is legally qualified and licensed to represent a person in a legal matter, such as a transaction or lawsuit.
3. attorney 2 |n| attorney a lawyer qualified to represent clients in legal proceedings.
4. bailif |n| a court officer or attendant who has charge of a court session to keep order, custody of prisoners and the jury.
5. clerk of court |n| an officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
6. court reporter |n| a person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in court and produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.
7. judge |n| a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court of justice.
8. jury 1 |n| a group of people who have been chosen to listen to all the facts in a trial in a law court and to decide if a person is guilty or not guilty, or if a claim has been proved.
9. jury 2 |n| persons selected according to law and sworn to inquire into and declare a verdict on matters of fact.
10. juror |n| a person who is on the jury.
11. marshal |n| a government official who is responsible for putting the decisions of a law court into action.
12. "US marshals specialize in finding fugitives and escapees."
13. prosecutor |n| the official who carry out legal proceedings against someone accused of crime.
14. probation officer / pretrial services officer |n| a social worker/court officer employed by the Probation Service to supervise offenders and released prisoners in the community and to help them lead law-abiding lives.
15. victimadvocate |n| victim advocates are trained to support victims of crime. They offer emotional support, victims’ rights information, help in finding needed resources and assistance in filling out crime victim related forms.

      Lawyers

1. lawyer |n| a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice.
2. defendant |n| a person against whom a charge is brought in a court of law.
3. public defender / defense attorney |n| its represents defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.

      Other People

1. coroner  / pathologist |n| a usually elected public officer who is typically not required to have specific medical qualifications and whose principal duty is to inquire by an inquest into the cause of any death which there is reason to suppose is not due to natural causes.
2. investigator / research worker / researcher |n| a scientist who devotes himself to doing research.
3. forensic scientist / forensic |n| a professional who conducts forensic examinations in any of the forensic science fields.
4. notary |n| an official who has the legal authority to say that documents are correctly signed or true or to make an oath official.
5. "This agreement was drawn up and verified by a notary."