J. D. : Juris Doctor; the degree that is bestowed upon graduation from law school. The degree was formerly designated LL. B.

Joinder: uniting of parties to single case or litigation

Joint and Several: sharing of right or liability between parties individually as well as jointly

Joint Enterprise: an agreement of two or more parties to take on a particular goal or project

Joint Liability: a doctrine of liability making all parties who are responsible for a loss to each share full responsibility

Joint Venture: a business undertaking by two or more parties in which profits, losses and control are shared

Jones Act: federal law that grants a seaman who suffers injury to his or her person during the course of employment a right to damages

Judge-Made Law: law that is decided by judicial interpretation as opposes to legislative enactment and is often termed common law

Judgement: judicial determination of a matter

Judicial Notice: a rule of judicial convenience that negates the need for proof of matter

Jurisdiction : the authority of a court to hear and determine a matter

Jurisdictional Amount: an amount of money in controversy required for a court to have the authority to hear and determine a matter

Jurisprudence: the topical area of the science of law and societal order

Jurist: a legal scholar

Juror: an individual who has been impaneled as a member of a jury

Jury: the group of individuals who are impaneled to decide on the facts involved in the trial

Jury Trial: the determination of a case by a jury, the jury decides the facts and the court instructs the jury of the law to be applied to the facts

Justiciable: a matter that is capable of being determined by a court of law or equity with or without the aid of a jury