English Contract Law/Glossary

This is a glossary of legal terms used in this book.

Acceptance	A non-conditional affirmation by an offeree that they are willing to contract in the terms of an offer.
Bilateral	A contract where each of the parties have reciprocal obligations.
Claimant	The party who brings a legal action (outside of the criminal context), who makes a claim.
Common law	The original legal system in England, administered in medieval times by royally-appointed judges.
Defendant	The party against whom a legal action is brought, who is called upon to defend themselves.
Donation	Legal term for gift, whether of goods, services or legal rights.
Donee	The party who receives under a donation.
Donor	The party who gives under a donation.
Equity	A legal system developed in late medieval England by the Lord Chancellor as a means of mitigating and correcting the rigidity of the original common law.
Objective intention	Intention inferred by the reasonable onlooker from a person's conduct (or lack of).
Offer	A statement made setting out terms by which an offeror is willing to be bound.
Offeree	One who receives an offer.
Offeror	One who makes an offer.
Promisee	Party who benefits from a contractual obligation undertaken towards them by another, loosely person to whom a promise is made.
Promisor	Party who undertakes a contractual obligation towards another, loosely person by whom a promise is made.
Subjective intention	The psychological, internal motivation for a person's actions.
Unilateral	A contract under which only one party has obligations.