Law terminology · MLC-0107

Law terms: U (121)

• UBOAn abbreviation for Ultimate Beneficial Owner, referring to the natural person or persons who ultimately own...
• UCCA set of uniform state laws on commercial transactions, drafted by the Uniform Law Commission and the...
• UCC Financing StatementA legal form filed by a creditor to provide public notice that it has a security interest in personal...
• UCC-1 FormA financing statement filed under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) to provide public notice of a creditor's...
• UCMJThe primary body of law governing the conduct of members of the United States Armed Forces. It establishes...
• Ultimate factA fact that is the final conclusion reached by applying rules of law to the basic or evidentiary facts...
• Ultra viresAn act by a corporation or other entity beyond the powers given by its charter, articles of incorporation or...
• Ultrahazardous activityAn activity that is inherently dangerous and carries a high risk of serious harm, even when conducted with...
• UnanimousA verdict, vote or decision supported by every member of the deciding body, with no dissent. A criminal jury...
• Unascertainable causeA causation problem in which two or more defendants each acted wrongfully but only one actually caused the...
• Unbundled legal servicesThe provision of legal assistance where a lawyer performs only specific tasks or provides advice on...
• Unclean handsAn equitable defense that bars relief to a plaintiff whose own wrongful or unethical conduct relates directly...
• UncodifiedDescribing a statutory provision that has been enacted but is not arranged within a subject-matter code, such...
• Uncommitted credit facilityA lending arrangement where a bank or financial institution offers a line of credit to a borrower but is not...
• UnconscionabilityA doctrine in contract law that permits a court to refuse to enforce a contract or a clause within a contract...
• UnconscionableDescribing a contract or a term within a contract that is so overwhelmingly unfair or one-sided that no...
• UnconstitutionalDescribing a law, action, or governmental practice that violates the provisions or principles of a country's...
• Uncontested divorceA divorce proceeding in which both spouses agree on all major issues required to end their marriage. This...
• Uncovered optionAn option position in which the writer sells the contract without owning the underlying asset (for a call) or...
• Under the influenceThe state of being impaired by alcohol, drugs, or other substances to an extent that one's mental or physical...
• UndercapitalizationA situation where a business or corporation does not have sufficient financial resources, such as equity or...
• Undersecured claimA right to payment based on a debt secured by property that is worth less than the amount of the debt.
• Undersecured debtA debt where the value of the collateral securing the loan is less than the outstanding amount of the debt...
• UnderwriteTo evaluate and assume the financial risk of another party in exchange for a fee or premium. In insurance, an...
• UnderwriterAn individual or entity that evaluates and assumes financial risk for a fee, typically in the context of...
• UnderwritingThe process of evaluating and assuming the financial risk associated with a loan, insurance policy, or...
• Undisclosed principalA principal whose existence and identity are unknown to the third party with whom an agent is dealing. In...
• Undivided interestA form of ownership where two or more individuals hold rights to the entire property, rather than to a...
• Undocumented immigrantA foreign national who resides in a country without the legal permission of that country's government. This...
• Undue burdenA legal standard used by courts to determine the constitutionality of a law or regulation, particularly in...
• Undue hardshipAn action requiring major difficulty or expense for an employer in providing a reasonable accommodation...
• Undue hardship (bankruptcy)The legal standard for discharging most student debts in bankruptcy under section 523(a)(8) of the Bankruptcy...
• Undue influenceThe improper use of power or trust in a way that deprives a person of their free will and substitutes...
• Unearned incomeIncome received from sources other than employment or active participation in a trade or business. This...
• Unemployment compensationA government insurance program providing temporary, partial wage replacement to workers who have lost their...
• Unemployment insuranceA joint federal and state program that provides temporary financial benefits to workers who become unemployed...
• UnenforceableDescribing a contract or agreement that, while perhaps validly formed, cannot be legally upheld or enforced...
• Unfair competitionBusiness practices that are deceptive, misleading, or otherwise unethical, giving one competitor an unjust...
• Unfair labor practicesActions taken by employers or labor unions that violate the rights of employees under labor law, particularly...
• Unified estate and gift taxA system under federal law where a single progressive tax rate schedule applies to both lifetime gifts and...
• Uniform Anatomical Gift ActA model statute adopted by many U.S. states that provides a legal framework for the donation of organs...
• Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement ActA uniform law, abbreviated UCCJEA, adopted by most U.S. states to establish consistent rules for determining...
• Uniform Code of Military JusticeThe primary body of law governing the conduct of members of the United States Armed Forces. This federal law...
• Uniform Gifts to Minors ActA model act, largely superseded by the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, that allowed adults to make...
• Uniform lawA model statute drafted by legal experts for adoption by state legislatures to promote consistency and...
• Uniform Premarital Agreement ActA model statute adopted by many U.S. states that provides a legal framework for prenuptial agreements. This...
• Uniform Probate CodeA model law designed to standardize and simplify the laws of wills, trusts, and estate administration across...
• Uniform Prudent Investor ActA model law adopted by most U.S. states that establishes standards for fiduciaries, such as trustees, in...
• Uniform Resource LocatorA specific type of Uniform Resource Identifier that provides a means of locating a resource on the internet...
• Uniform Simultaneous Death ActA model law adopted by many U.S. states that provides rules for the distribution of property when two or more...
• Uniform Transfer-on-Death Securities Registration ActA model law adopted by many U.S. states that allows individuals to register securities, such as stocks and...
• Uniform Transfers to Minors ActA statute adopted by most U.S. states that provides a simple and inexpensive way to transfer property to a...
• UnilateralDescribing an action or agreement undertaken or made by one party or side without the participation or...
• Unilateral contractA type of contract where one party makes a promise in exchange for the performance of an act by the other...
• UnincorporatedDescribing a business or association that has not been incorporated as a corporation, such as a sole...
• Unincorporated business organizationA business organized in some form other than a corporation, such as a sole proprietorship, general...
• Uninsured motorist clauseA provision in an automobile insurance policy that provides coverage for the policyholder's injuries and...
• Union security agreementA contractual arrangement between an employer and a labor union that requires employees to join the union or...
• Union shopA form of union security agreement requiring all employees in a bargaining unit to become members of the...
• Unissued stockShares that a corporation's charter authorizes but that it has not sold or otherwise issued. The board can...
• Unitary Executive TheoryA theory of presidential power holding that Article II vests the whole executive power in the President, who...
• United NationsAn international organization founded in 1945 after World War II, dedicated to promoting international...
• United Nations CharterThe foundational treaty of the United Nations, signed in San Francisco in 1945, which outlines the purposes...
• United Nations General AssemblyThe main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 193...
• United Nations Security CouncilThe United Nations organ with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, made...
• United Nations SystemThe collective organization comprising the six principal organs of the United Nations, along with its...
• United States AttorneyThe chief federal prosecutor and law enforcement officer within a specific federal judicial district. Each...
• United States Attorney’s OfficeThe principal litigating arm of the United States Department of Justice, responsible for prosecuting federal...
• United States Citizenship and Immigration ServicesThe federal agency within the Department of Homeland Security that administers the nation's lawful...
• United States CodeThe official compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal laws of the United States. It...
• United States Copyright OfficeThe federal agency responsible for registering copyright claims and providing policy advice on copyright law...
• United States Court of Appeals for the Armed ForcesA civilian appellate court, abbreviated USCAAF, that reviews court-martial convictions of military personnel...
• United States Court of Appeals for Veterans ClaimsA national court of record that has exclusive jurisdiction to review decisions of the Board of Veterans'...
• United States Court of Federal ClaimsA specialized federal tribunal established to adjudicate monetary claims against the United States...
• United States district courtsThe general trial courts of the federal judicial system, hearing both civil and criminal cases. There are 94...
• United States Marshals ServiceThe federal law enforcement agency responsible for protecting the federal judiciary, apprehending federal...
• United States Munitions ListA list of articles, services, and related technical data designated as defense articles and defense services...
• United States Patent and Trademark OfficeThe federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce that issues patents for inventions and registers...
• United States Postal ServiceA self-supporting establishment of the executive branch of the U.S. government, tasked with providing postal...
• United States Tax CourtA specialized federal court that adjudicates disputes between taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service...
• United States v. Miller (1939)A landmark Supreme Court case that addressed the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The Court upheld the...
• United Steelworkers of America v. Weber (1979)A U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that a private employer's voluntary affirmative action plan was...
• Universal life insuranceA type of flexible permanent life insurance offering a death benefit and a cash value component...
• Unjust enrichmentA legal principle where one person has unfairly benefited at the expense of another without a legal...
• UnlawfulDescribing an act or omission that is contrary to or forbidden by law. Such actions violate established legal...
• Unlawful assemblyA gathering of three or more people with the intent to commit an unlawful act or to carry out a lawful act in...
• Unlawful confinementThe act of restraining a person's liberty without legal justification or consent. This can involve physical...
• Unlawful deportation and transferThe forced removal of individuals from a territory without due process or in violation of international law...
• Unlawful detainerA legal action brought by a landlord to evict a tenant who remains in possession of a property after their...
• Unlawful detainer actionA lawsuit brought by a landlord against a tenant to evict the tenant from rental property - usually for...
• Unliquidated claimA claim for which a specific value has not yet been determined.
• Unqualified ownershipA form of property ownership where the owner holds absolute title to an asset without any conditions...
• UnreasonableDescribing conduct, a decision, or an expectation that is not based on sound judgment, logic, or fairness, or...
• Unreasonable search and seizureGovernmental intrusion into an individual's privacy or property without proper justification, violating the...
• Unscheduled debtA debt that should have been listed by the debtor in the schedules filed with the court in a bankruptcy case...
• Unseasoned issuerA company that has not previously filed reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or has not...
• Unsecured claimA claim for which a creditor holds no security, such as a mortgage or lien.
• Unsecured debtA financial obligation not backed by collateral, meaning the lender has no specific asset to seize if the...
• UpholdThe appellate court agrees with the lower court decision and allows it to stand. See “affirmed."
• Upon information or beliefA legal phrase used in pleadings and affidavits to indicate that the person making the statement believes it...
• U.S. attorneyA lawyer appointed by the President in each judicial district to prosecute and defend cases for the federal...
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal CircuitA United States federal court that hears appeals in specialized cases, including patent law, international...
• U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007A United States federal statute enacted to provide emergency supplemental appropriations for military...
• U.S. trusteeAn officer of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for supervising the administration of bankruptcy...
• USA PATRIOT ActA federal statute enacted in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, significantly expanding...
• Usage of tradeA practice or method of dealing regularly observed in a particular vocation or trade, which justifies an...
• UseThe exercise of a right or power over property, or the application of something for a particular purpose. It...
• Use taxA tax imposed on the storage, use, or consumption of tangible personal property purchased from out-of-state...
• Useful products doctrineA doctrine in federal Superfund law, CERCLA, under which a company that sells a useful product is not treated...
• UsefulnessThe quality of being able to serve a practical purpose or provide a benefit. In patent law, it is a...
• USERRA (The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act)A federal law that protects the employment and reemployment rights of individuals who serve or have served in...
• USPTOThe United States Patent and Trademark Office, a federal agency responsible for granting U.S. patents and...
• UsufructA legal right to use and enjoy the fruits or profits of another's property, without owning the property...
• UsuriousDescribing a loan or interest rate that exceeds the maximum legal limit permitted by state law. Such rates...
• UsuryThe practice of lending money at an interest rate that is excessively high or above the maximum legal rate...
• Uti possidetis jurisA principle of international law stating that newly formed sovereign states should retain the borders of...
• Utility patentA type of patent granted for a new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of...
• UTMAThe Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, a statute adopted by most U.S. states that allows a custodian to hold...
• UtterTo put into circulation or offer as genuine a forged or counterfeit document, currency, or other item...
• UtteringThe criminal act of presenting or putting into circulation a forged or counterfeit document, such as a check...
• UxorA wife, as identified in historical legal documents, particularly in the context of property law. The term...

121 of 5,439 terms in Law terminology (MLC-0107). Request the full dataset.