The Devil's Law Dictionary by Harold A. Justman
	Mammon: A biblical name for money; a lawyer cannot serve both mammon and the law; he or she must pick one or the other. Money: The subject of civil litigation; also, the amount in controversy; in civil litigation, the level of the client's anger is inversely related to the amount in controversy. Nonsuit: When a judge declares that a lawyer is inappropriately dressed for court or when a judge declares that an attorney's case has no visible appeal to a jury. Oath: A declaration to a supreme being that you will testify truthfully; it has become necessary in modern times to add the penalty of perjury to encourage truthful testimony. Offer of Proof: An attorney's statement of what his or her witness would say under oath if the judge would just let him or her say it. Plaintiff: A person (including, but not limited to, a corporation) who believes he, she or it is entitled to a large sum of money in compensation for a real or imagined injury. Prejudice: The moving force behind a judge's decision or a jury's verdict as opposed to logic which is not popular with either. Question: A statement of fact or argument posed by a lawyer in the general direction of a witness in a deposition or court proceeding. Redirect Examination: An examination of a witness by the direct examiner subsequent to a statement by the witness on cross-examination which did not comport with the story which was rehearsed during direct examination. Recross Examination: An examination of a witness by a cross-examiner subsequent to an attempt by a witness to correct a prior statement which did not comport with the story which was rehearsed during redirect examination. Recusal: The process by which a judge disqualifies himself or herself from hearing a lawsuit which might be politically sensitive. Summons: An instrument issued by a clerk which is necessary to the commencement of a civil action; this instrument is unheard of in law school. Service: A process server's statement that legal papers were somehow brought to your attention or that you should have known about said legal papers. Settlement: An agreement by which parties, having disputed matters between them, ascertain who has the better lawyer and determine a monetary adjustment between them in lieu of submitting the issue of who has the better lawyer to a judge or jury.