Legal Business Glossary

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P&L Report

A financial statement showing a business’s gross income and expenses, used to determine the net profit or loss for a specific period.

Paralegal

A person, qualified by education, training, or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, government agency, or other entity who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.

Parties

A person or entity who takes part in a legal transaction.

Partner

One of the co-owners and investors in a "partnership" which is an ongoing business enterprise entered into for profit. Specifically, at a law firm, a partner is a lawyer who maintains partial ownership of the firm where they work.

Payments

Delivery of money, or its equivalent, in either specific property or services by a debtor to a creditor.

Plaintiff

The party who initiates a lawsuit by filing a complaint with the clerk of the court against the defendant(s) demanding damages.

Potential New Clients

Person who consults with a lawyer about the possibility of forming a client-lawyer relationship with respect to a matter.

Practice Area

An area of law in which an attorney primarily focuses their career; area of expertise or specialty for an attorney.

Practice Management Software

Software designed to manage a law firm’s client and case records, billing and bookkeeping, calendars, deadlines, documents, and to facilitate any compliance requirements such as conflict checks, document retention, and courts’ electronic filing systems.

Pro Bono

Legal work performed by lawyers without pay to help people with legal problems and limited or no funds, or to provide legal assistance to organizations involved in social causes.

Procurement

All stages of the process of acquiring property or services, beginning with the process of determining a need for property or services and ending with contract completion and closeout.