Best Civil Procedure Term Definitions
for Law School and Bar Exam
Civil Procedure Terms · Bar Prep Terms
Civil Pro Outlines · Top Civ Pro Laws · Civ Pro Deadlines Videos
The top 100+ key legal definitions for crushing your civil procedure final exam and the bar exam.
*Updated September 2022
Civil procedure definitions
- 12(b) motion
- abuse of discretion
- accord and satisfaction
- admissions
- affidavit
- affirmative defenses
- alien
- allegation
- amend as “matter of course” (or “matter of right”)
- amended pleadings
- amount in controversy (or jurisdictional amount)
- answer
- appeal
- arbitration
- attachment
- attorney certifications
- attorney fees
- bench trial
- Bulge Rule
- citizenship
- claim preclusion (or res judicata)
- class action
- class certification (or denial)
- clearly erroneous standard
- common law
- complaints
- complete diversity
- compulsory counterclaims
- consolidation
- controlling issues
- counterclaims
- crossclaims
- cross motion
- damages
- declaratory relief
- default judgment
- de novo standard
- depositions
- disclosures
- discovery
- discovery sanctions
- discretionary decisions
- dismissal
- diversity jurisdiction
- domicile
- “election-of-remedies” doctrine
- electronically stored information (ESI)
- equitable relief
- Erie doctrine
- expert disclosures
- extraordinary writ
- failure to state a claim
- federal question
- final judgment
- final judgment rule
- final pretrial conference
- forum non conveniens
- forum selection clause
- general verdict with interrogatories
- harmless error rule
- immunity
- impleader
- initial disclosures
- injunction
- in rem
- insufficient process
- insufficient service
- interlocutory review
- interpleader
- interrogatories
- intervene
- involuntary dismissal
- issue preclusion (collateral estoppel)
- joinder
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Terms (continued)
- judgment as a matter of law (JMOL)
- judgment on the pleadings
- jury deliberation
- jury discharge
- jury instruction objection
- jury instruction request
- jury instructions
- jury submission
- jury trial
- legal relief
- long-arm statute
- manifest injustice
- minimal diversity
- motion
- motion for a more definite statement
- motion for a new trial
- motion for judgment as a matter of law (JMOL or motion for “directed verdict”)
- motion for summary judgment
- motion to dismiss
- motion to set aside judgment
- motion to strike
- move
- necessary parties
- notice
- notice pleading
- objections
- order to compel
- partial final judgment
- peremptory challenges
- permissive parties
- personal jurisdiction (or in personam jurisdiction)
- plain errors
- pleadings
- prejudice
- preliminary injunction
- preserve
- presumptions
- pretrial conferences
- pretrial disclosures
- pretrial orders
- quasi-in-rem
- recusal
- removal
- remove for cause
- renewed motion for JMOL
- reply
- requests for examination
- requests to admit
- requests to produce
- Rule 11 sanctions
- rule interpleader
- sanctions
- scheduling orders
- service of process
- settlement
- special verdict
- standard of review
- statute of limitations
- statutory interpleader
- sua sponte
- subject matter jurisdiction (SMJ)
- substantial evidence standard
- summons
- supplemental jurisdiction
- supplemental pleading
- temporary restraining order (TRO)
- the record
- transfer
- transferor court
- venue
- voir dire
- voluntary dismissal
- waiver