Legal glossary for court interpreters

F

Fair market value

The value for which a reasonable seller would sell an item of property and for which a reasonable buyer would buy it.

Family law

Those areas of the law pertaining to families, i.e., marriage, divorce, child custody, juvenile, paternity, etc.

Federal Aviation Agency (FAA)

A federal agency which regulates air commerce to promote aviation Administration safety.

Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)

A federal agency which investigates all violations of federal Investigation laws.

Federal Communications (FCC)

A federal agency which regulates interstate and foreign Commission communications by wire and radio.

Federal Deposit Insurance (FDIC)

An agency which insures deposits in banking institutions in Corporation the event of financial failure.

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Servi

An agency which provides mediators to assist in labor-management disputes.

Federal Register

A daily publication which contains federal administrative rules and regulations.

Federal Supplement

Books which gives the government certain control and power to regulate discharge of pollutants into the nation's waters in an effort to achieve clean waters.

Federal Unemployment Tax

A tax levied on employers based on employee wages paid. (FUTA tax)

Felony

A serious criminal offense. Under federal law any offense punishable by death or imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

Fiduciary

A person or institution who manages money or property for another and who must exercise a standard care imposed by law, i.e., personal representative or executor of an estate, a trustee, etc.

File

To place a paper in the official custody of the clerk of court/court administrator to enter into the files or records of a case.

Filing Fee

The fee required for filing various documents.

Finding

Formal conclusion by a judge or regulatory agency on issues of fact. Also, a conclusion by a jury regarding a fact.

Food and Drug (FDA)

A federal agency which sets safety and quality standards for Administration food, drugs, cosmetics, and household substances.

Foreclosure

A court proceeding upon default in a mortgage to vest title in the mortgagee.

Forfeiture

A cancellation. A legal action whereby a contract purchaser following default loses all his interest in the property.

Fraud

A false representation of a matter of fact which is intended to deceive another.