⚖️ Law & Public Administration · Vocabulary for Specific Fields · 150 words

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law n	the system of rules a country or society follows The new law takes effect on the first of July.
legislation n	laws made by a parliament New legislation protects the rights of online consumers.
statute n	a written law passed by a legislature The statute sets a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
constitution n	the basic principles and laws of a nation Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the constitution.
regulation n	an official rule made by an authority The factory must comply with all national fire safety regulations.
decree n	an official order issued by a government The government issued a decree on administrative penalties.
circular n	an official document guiding how a law or decree is applied The ministry published a circular guiding the new tax rules.
bill n	a proposed law presented for approval The National Assembly is debating the land bill.
enact v	to make a proposal into law The parliament enacted a new labor code to protect workers.
amendment n	a change made to a law or document An amendment to the law raised the retirement age.
repeal v	to officially cancel a law The government repealed the outdated licensing rule for small shops.
come into force phrase	to start to apply officially The new traffic rules come into force next month.
legal adj	allowed by law or relating to the law You should get legal advice before signing any long-term contract.
illegal adj	not allowed by law Selling alcohol to anyone under eighteen is illegal in Vietnam.
legal entity n	an organization recognized by law as having rights and duties The branch office is not a separate legal entity.
jurisdiction n	the authority of a court to hear a case The dispute falls under the jurisdiction of the provincial court.
court n	a place where legal cases are decided The case will be heard in court next week.
supreme court n	the highest court in a country The supreme court overturned the decision of the lower court.
judge n	a public official who decides cases in court The judge postponed the trial until May because a witness was ill.
lawyer n	a person trained to advise and represent clients in law Her lawyer advised her not to sign the agreement.
attorney n	a lawyer, or a person authorized to act for another The company’s attorney filed the court documents yesterday afternoon.
prosecutor n	a lawyer who brings criminal charges on behalf of the state The prosecutor asked for a sentence of ten years.
defendant n	the person accused or sued in a court case The defendant denied all the charges brought against him.
plaintiff n	the person who brings a civil case to court The plaintiff is seeking compensation for lost income.
witness n	a person who saw an event and tells the court about it Two witnesses gave evidence about the accident at the hearing.
testimony n	a formal statement given in court Her testimony in court helped convict the driver who caused the crash.
evidence n	facts or objects that prove something in court Police found important new evidence at the scene of the robbery.
burden of proof n	the duty to prove a claim in court In criminal cases the burden of proof lies with the prosecution.
lawsuit n	a claim brought to court by one party against another The customers filed a lawsuit against the developer.
litigation n	the process of taking legal action in court The firm wants to avoid costly litigation by negotiating with the supplier.
sue v	to take legal action against someone The supplier sued the company for unpaid invoices.
claim n	a demand for money or rights The insurance company rejected the claim because the policy had expired.
trial n	a formal examination of a case in court The fraud trial lasted three days and attracted wide media attention.
hearing n	a meeting of a court to examine a case The next hearing in the land dispute is scheduled for October.
verdict n	the decision on whether someone is guilty The court will deliver its verdict on Friday.
judgment n	an official decision of a court The judgment requires the company to pay damages.
ruling n	an official decision made by a court or authority The ruling could affect thousands of similar cases.
sentence n	the punishment given by a court He received a sentence of two years in prison.
appeal n	a request to a higher court to change a decision The company has filed an appeal against the ruling.
acquit v	to declare someone not guilty The jury acquitted the manager of fraud after a two-week trial.
convict v	to officially declare someone guilty of a crime He was convicted of tax evasion and ordered to pay a large fine.
guilty adj	responsible for a crime by law She pleaded guilty to the charge of drunk driving.
innocent adj	not guilty of a crime Under the law, everyone is innocent until proven guilty in court.
presumption of innocence n	the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty The presumption of innocence is a basic right of the accused.
crime n	an act that is against the law Cyber crime targeting online banking customers is increasing rapidly.
offense n	an illegal act Driving without a license is a criminal offense.
criminal law n	law dealing with crimes and their punishment He has specialized in criminal law for more than fifteen years.
civil law n	law dealing with disputes between private parties Most contract disputes between companies are governed by civil law.
administrative law n	law governing the activities of government agencies Administrative law sets clear rules for how agencies issue permits.
labor law n	law regulating relations between employers and workers Under labor law, overtime must be paid at a higher rate.
commercial law n	law governing business and trade The contract is subject to Vietnamese commercial law.
intellectual property n	creations of the mind protected by law The company protects its intellectual property with patents.
copyright n	the legal right to control copying of a creative work The publisher holds the copyright to the book.
trademark n	a registered name or symbol that identifies a brand They registered the company logo as a trademark in five countries.
patent n	a legal right to be the only maker of an invention The engineer applied for a patent on the new valve.
infringement n	an action that breaks a law or right The court found clear patent infringement by the rival manufacturer.
contract n	a legally binding agreement Both parties must sign the contract before work starts.
party n	a person or group involved in a contract or case Both parties agreed to the new payment terms in the revised contract.
clause n	a section of a legal document The penalty clause applies if delivery is late.
terms and conditions n	the rules that apply to an agreement Please read the terms and conditions carefully before signing up.
breach of contract n	failure to do what a contract requires The buyer sued the supplier for breach of contract after late delivery.
force majeure n	unexpected events that free parties from contract duties The flood was treated as force majeure under the contract.
compensation n	money paid for loss or damage The injured workers received compensation from the construction company.
damages n	money a court orders someone to pay for harm caused The court awarded damages of two billion dong.
liability n	legal responsibility for something The company accepted full liability for the accident at the warehouse.
obligation n	something a person must do by law or agreement Employers have an obligation to provide a safe workplace.
rights n	things a person is legally entitled to Workers should know their rights under the labor code.
dispute n	a serious disagreement, often legal The land dispute has lasted for ten years.
dispute resolution n	methods for settling disagreements The contract includes a clause on dispute resolution.
arbitration n	settling a dispute through an independent third party The two companies agreed to settle the matter by arbitration.
mediation n	helping two sides reach an agreement through a neutral person Mediation helped the neighbors avoid going to court.
settlement n	an agreement that ends a dispute The parties reached a settlement shortly before the trial began.
notary n	an official who certifies documents and signatures The sales contract must be signed in front of a notary.
notarize v	to have a document officially certified by a notary You need to notarize the copy of your degree.
certified copy n	an official copy confirmed to match the original Submit a certified copy of your identity card.
power of attorney n	a document allowing someone to act for another person She gave her son power of attorney to manage the house.
inheritance n	property received from someone who has died The siblings argued for years over the inheritance left by their father.
will n	a legal document stating who gets your property after death He left the house to his daughter in his will.
land use rights n	the legal right to use a piece of land The certificate of land use rights was issued last year.
property n	things owned by someone, including land and buildings The bank seized the property after the loan was not repaid.
ownership n	the legal right to own something These documents prove legal ownership of the vehicle.
lease n	a contract to rent property for a set time The company signed a five-year lease on the office.
marriage registration n	officially recording a marriage with the authorities They completed marriage registration at the ward office.
birth certificate n	an official document recording a person’s birth A copy of the birth certificate is required for school enrollment.
identity card n	an official card proving who you are Bring your identity card when you visit the office.
household registration n	official recording of where a family lives Household registration is now managed in a national database.
residence permit n	an official document allowing a foreigner to live in a country Foreign workers must apply for a residence permit.
work permit n	official permission for a foreigner to work The engineer is waiting for his work permit.
business registration certificate n	an official document confirming a company is registered Attach a copy of your business registration certificate.
license n	an official document giving permission The restaurant had its business license suspended for hygiene violations.
permit n	an official document allowing a specific activity You need a construction permit to extend the house.
application n	a formal written request Submit your application before the end of the month.
dossier n	a set of documents about a person or matter The dossier is incomplete and must be resubmitted.
administrative procedure n	official steps required by government agencies The province has simplified many administrative procedures for investors.
one-stop shop n	a single office where people complete several procedures Citizens can submit documents at the one-stop shop of the district.
public service n	a service provided by the government to citizens Many public services, such as tax filing, are now available online.
civil servant n	a person employed in a government department She has worked as a civil servant for twenty years.
public official n	a person holding a government position Public officials must declare their assets every year.
ministry n	a government department led by a minister The Ministry of Justice drafted the new law.
People’s Committee n	the local executive body of government in Vietnam The People’s Committee of the province approved the project.
National Assembly n	the national legislature of Vietnam The National Assembly passed the revised Land Law.
government n	the group of people who govern a country The government announced new support for small businesses.
authority n	an official body or the power to make decisions Contact the local authority for a building permit.
competent authority n	the official body legally responsible for a matter The license is issued by the competent authority.
state agency n	an organization that is part of the government Every state agency must publish its procedures online.
decentralization n	transferring power from central to local government Decentralization gives provinces more control over their own budgets.
bureaucracy n	complex official rules and procedures Foreign investors often complain about too much bureaucracy in licensing.
public administration n	the management of government services and policy He studied public administration before joining the ministry.
administrative reform n	changes to make government work more efficiently Administrative reform has cut processing times in half.
policy n	a plan of action adopted by a government or organization The new policy supports farmers affected by floods.
official letter n	a formal letter issued by an organization or agency The department sent an official letter requesting more information.
resolution n	a formal decision made by a governing body The council adopted a resolution on budget allocation.
decision n	an official choice made by an authority The minister signed a decision appointing the new director.
complaint n	a formal statement that something is wrong Citizens can file a complaint about an administrative decision.
denunciation n	reporting illegal acts to the authorities The inspectorate received a written denunciation of corruption in the department.
inspection n	an official examination to check compliance The tax inspection found several errors in the accounts.
compliance n	acting according to laws and rules The bank hired a team to ensure compliance with new rules.
violation n	an act that breaks a law or rule The driver was fined for a traffic violation.
penalty n	a punishment for breaking a rule or law Late tax payments carry a daily penalty on the amount owed.
fine n	money paid as punishment The company paid a fine for polluting the river.
administrative sanction n	a penalty imposed by an agency for breaking regulations The shop faced an administrative sanction for selling fake goods.
corruption n	dishonest behavior by people in power, often involving bribes The campaign against corruption has led to many arrests.
bribery n	giving money to influence someone in authority The customs official was charged with bribery and abuse of power.
fraud n	illegal deception to gain money or advantage The director was arrested for fraud involving fake investment contracts.
tax evasion n	illegally avoiding paying taxes The company was investigated for tax evasion over a five-year period.
money laundering n	hiding the illegal origin of money Banks must report transactions linked to money laundering.
investigation n	an official examination of facts about a crime or problem Police have opened an investigation into the fire.
arrest v	to take someone into custody by legal authority Police arrested two suspects at the airport early this morning.
suspect n	a person believed to have committed a crime The suspect was released due to lack of evidence.
indictment n	a formal charge accusing someone of a serious crime The prosecutor issued an indictment against the three men.
prosecution n	bringing criminal charges against someone After the investigation, the case was transferred for prosecution.
statute of limitations n	the legal time limit for bringing a case The claim was rejected because the statute of limitations had expired.
precedent n	an earlier decision used as a guide for later cases The court followed the precedent set in an earlier case.
legal aid n	free legal help for people who cannot afford it Poor households can receive legal aid from the state.
legal counsel n	a lawyer who gives advice, or the advice itself The company’s legal counsel reviewed the merger agreement.
memorandum of understanding n	a formal but usually non-binding agreement between parties The two provinces signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism.
minutes n	the official written record of a meeting The secretary will circulate the minutes of the board meeting tomorrow.
seal n	an official stamp that makes a document valid The contract needs the company seal and the director’s signature.
signature n	a person’s name written in their own way to approve a document Electronic signatures are now legally valid for most commercial contracts.
validity n	the state of being legally acceptable The validity of the license is five years.
expire v	to stop being valid after a period Your work permit expires at the end of the year.
citizen n	a legal member of a country Every citizen has the right to vote at eighteen.
citizenship n	the legal status of being a citizen He applied for Vietnamese citizenship after ten years.
human rights n	basic rights that every person should have The constitution guarantees the protection of human rights for all citizens.
election n	an organized vote to choose leaders Local elections for the people’s councils will be held next spring.
rule of law n	the principle that everyone is subject to the law Foreign investors place great value on the rule of law.
contractual adj	relating to or agreed in a contract The supplier failed to meet its contractual obligations on delivery times.
custody n	being held by police; legal care of a child The suspect was held in custody while the police continued their investigation.
enforcement n	making sure laws or decisions are obeyed Stricter enforcement of traffic laws has reduced road accidents in the city.
legal capacity n	the legal ability to enter contracts and hold rights Minors do not have full legal capacity to sign property contracts.