Find Case Law Glossary

Find Case Law aims to make court judgments accessible to everyone. However, legal language and court terminology can be unfamiliar, even to regular users. This glossary explains common terms you'll encounter when searching for and reading court judgments, helping you understand how our service works.

Glossary of terms

Party / Party name

The people or organisations involved in a case - such as the claimant and defendant. Party names appear at the top of every judgment and can be used to search for specific cases on Find Case Law.

Plaintiff

An older term for claimant - the person bringing a civil case to court. You might see this term in older judgments or in some jurisdictions, but 'claimant' is now the standard term used in England and Wales.