This section defines some of the various terms used throughout the site.
- 2d Cir.
-
Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
The Court of Appeals is the part of the United States court system that deals with challenges to previously-made court decisions.
The Second Circuit in particular has jurisdiction over the district courts in Connecticut, New York, and Vermont.
- AV® Peer Review Rating
-
The “A” stands for “Very High to Preeminent Legal Ability,” and the “V” for “Very High General Recommendation.”
From Martindale-Hubbel®:
An AV certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment—a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence. A lawyer must be admitted to the bar for 10 years or more to receive an AV® rating.
- BA
- Bachelor of Arts. A liberal arts college degree.
- BAC
- Blood Alcohol Content. A measure of the amount of alcohol present in an individual’s body.
- c
- Chapter
- CA
- California; USPS two-letter designation
- DOE
- Department of Education
- DSS
- Department of Social Services
- DUI
- Driving Under the Influence [of alcohol]. See also: OUI. For more information, please visit the entry at Crimes & Punishments.
- etc.
- From the Latin et cetera, meaning “and so forth.”
- F.2d
- Federal Reporter, Second Series. Part of a serial by West Publishing that catalogues United States court decisions.
- G
- Gerard. Attorney Guiney’s middle name.
- HTML
- HyperText Markup Language. The underlying code of Web pages.
- HTTP
- HyperText Transfer Protocol. The method of retrieving Web pages.
- i.e.
- From the Latin id est, meaning “that is.”
- IEP
- Individualized Education Program
- Ⅲ
- Roman Numeral Three. Read as “the Third” when preceding an individual’s name.
- Info
- Information
- IPA
- International Phonetic Alphabet. A system of writing used to transcribe vocal sounds.
- Jr
- Junior
- LLP
- Limited Liability Partnership
- MA
- Massachusetts; USPS two-letter designation
- MDL
- MultiDistrict Litigation
- MGL
- Massachusetts General Law
- MTA
- Massachusetts Teachers Association
- Mr
- Mister
- №
- From the Latin numero, meaning “number.”
- OUI
- Operating Under the Influence [of alcohol]. For more information, please visit the entry at Crimes & Punishments.
- RMV
- Registry of Motor Vehicles
- SORB
- Sex Offender Registry Board
- TRO
- Temporary Restraining Order
- TV
- Television
- US
- United States
- USPS
- United States Postal Service
- v
- From the Latin versus, meaning “turned” or “toward.” Used to denote the opposition of two parties in a legal case.
- XHTML
- eXtensible HyperText Markup Language. A reformation of HTML that enables more advanced functionality.