A humble collection of Legal Maxims useful for Law students and Law practitioners…

A

1. Actio personalis moritur cum persona
   • a personal right of action dies with the person
2. actus curiae neminem gravabit
   • an act of the Court shall prejudice no man, or by a delay on the part of the Court neither party should suffer
3. ad idem
4. albeit means although
5. amicus curiae
6. Animus Deserendi
   • intention to bring cohabitation permanently to an end
7. A Priori
8. Au contraire
9. audi alteram partem
   • “listen to the other side”, or “let the other side be heard as well” or “no person shall be condemned unheard”

B

1. b
2. b

C

1. causa causans : The original, primary, fundamental, real, proximate, immediate or main cause of something; The last link / final link in the chain of *causation
2. casus omissus
   • a situation omitted from or not provided for by statute or regulation and therefore governed by the common law
3. coram non judice
4. causa sine qua non
   • some preceding but for which the causa causans could not have become operative.
5. causa justa : A true or just cause.
6. causa mortis : In respect of death.

D

1. dominus litus
2. de novo
3. dramatis personae

E

1. erga omnes
2. ex debito justitiae
3. ex proprio vigore means “by its own force” or “by its own power.”
4. “Ex abundanti cautela” meaning “out of an abundance of caution.”

F

1. functus officio
2. fraus et jus nunquam cohabitant mean “fraud and justice never dwell together”

G

1. g
2. g

H

1. h
2. h

I

1. imprimatur: authoritative approval.
2. ipso facto
3. Ignorantia juris non excusat
4. Interest Reipublicae Ut Sit Finis Litium- It means “In the interest of the state, that there be an end to litigation

J

1. j
2. j

K

1. k
2. k

L

1. Lex iniusta non est lex(an unjust law is not a true law)
2. locus classicus : an authoritative and often quoted passage from a standard work

M

1. m
2. m

N

1. Nemo debet esse judex in propria causa.
   • No man ought to be a judge in his own cause. The essence of the maxim has been incorporated in Section 479 of CrPC.
2. nemo judex in causa sua
   • no one should be a judge in their own cause

O

1. OPP
   • Onus to prove on plaintiff
2. OPR
   • Onus to prove on defendant

P

1. pari materia
2. particeps criminis
3. parens patriae
4. post-facto
5. Pacta privata juri publico non derogare possunt

Q

1. Quod per me non possum, nec per alium

R

1. res integra
2. res ipsa loquitur
3. res judicita

S

1. simpliciter
2. suo motu
3. sine die
4. sine qua non
5. Stare decisis : to stand in the-things-that-have-been-decided (Precedent)
6. Stare decisis et non quieta movere : to stand by decisions and not disturb the undisturbed
7. stricto sensu:
   • In the strict sense
8. sub silentio
9. “Suggestio falsi, suppressio veri” is a Latin legal maxim meaning “suggesting the false, suppressing the true.”
10. sui generis

T

1. t
2. t

U

1. Ubi jus ibi remedium
3. u

V

1. void ipso jure
2. Volenti non fit injuria
3. volte-face – Take a U-turn

W

1. w
2. w

X

1. x
2. x

Y

1. y
2. y

Z

1. z
2. z