All Legal Terms by letter E

E-Commerce :- E-Commerce is a modern term that describes the ever growing and expanding on-line economy. Since the internet began, thousands upon thousands of new companies have come into existence and are trading goods and services electronically. The e-commerce business may be for products sold direct to the consuming public or be sold directly to other businesses involved in e-commerce. This portion of the industry is commonly called B2B, which means business to business commerce.


E-Loan :- The "E" is short for Electronic. E-Loan refers to a loan that is transacted entirely on-line. Traditionally, in lending situations, the borrower had to visit the bank and make a good personal impression in order to qualify for a loan. Today, using the internet, the lender only looks at credit history and the collateral in making lending decisions.


Earnest Money :- Money paid by the potential buyer to hold real property as good faith in the transaction. If the deal fails, the earnest money may be forfeit. This is essentially the cost of taking the property off the market while financing is being arranged.


Earnings Per Share :- Earnings Per Share is a net income measure consisting of the actual amount of net income divided by the total number of outstanding shares of the company's common stock. The measure of earnings per share is always tied to a particular time period. Earnings per share is an important measure useful in evaluating the profitability of a company.


Ear-witness :- A witness who will testify as to what the witness heard.


Easement :- A property right wherein the owner of a piece of land has the right to use another person’s land for a particular purpose, normally a right to enter and cross the property.


Easement by Necessity :- An easement that arises not by grant but by operation of law, by virtue of the implied necessity that one land must serve the other. Most commonly this arises where a parcel is landlocked.
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Eavesdropping :- Secretly listening in on a private conversation.


EEOC :- Acronym for the government agency known as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision.


Effective Tax Rate :- The effective tax rate for a company or an individual taxpayer is the real tax rate expressed as the percentage of the actual tax liability to the income accounted for the taxpaying entity.


Eggshell Skull :- The eggshell skull rule is a concept in negligence law that states that the defendant must take the plaintiff as he or she finds the plaintiff. This means that a plaintiff that is prone to injury, like a sickly or an elderly person, should not have the claim diminished by poor heath status. The prior health status of the plaintiff, good or bad, should work no advantage to the negligent defendant.


Egress :- Going out, or the means by which going out is to be accomplished.


Ejectment :- An action brought for the recovery of possession of land. The action today is commonly called eviction or forcible entry and detainer.


Elder Law :- Elder Law refers to that growing area of legal practice that deals with problems common to elderly persons, such as Medicare and Medicaid, insurance, disability, estate planning, retirement, asset preservation, wills, trusts and estates. Of particular interest is competence issues involving the appointment of guardians and conservators.
Elective Share :- The portion of a spouse's estate that can be taken by the surviving spouse, despite provisions made for the property in a valid will. This is called taking against the will.


Electronic Funds Transfer Act :- A law that sets up by outline all basic rights, liabilities, and responsibilities of both consumers who use electronic fund transfer services and financial institutions that offer the services.


Electronic and Digital Signature :- Recent legislation now allows the signature of an individual made by appropriate electronic means to be accepted as a bona fide signature just as binding on legal documents as the original signature would have been. The growth of e-commerce has mandated some accommodation for verification of the personal signature by digital means.


Electronic Ticket :- An entry that is electronically purchased and created, such that a physical ticket is not required.


Emancipation :- Process by which a minor may be declared free of his minority status by virtue of being self sufficient. Gaining full rights is called emancipation.


Embezzlement :- The crime of taking someone's property after it has been entrusted to you.


Emergency Doctrine :- A limited form of civil immunity granted to persons who help in emergency situations out of instinct or imperfect knowledge.


Emergency Protective Order :- An order entered restraining one from going near a person perceived to be threatened or in danger. This order is often entered prior to a hearing, on an emergency basis.


Emigration :- In immigration law, emigration is leaving one country or residence to seek permanent residence in another.