This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (August 2007)

It is common practice in legal documents to cite to other publications by using standard abbreviations for the title of each source. Abbreviations may also be found for common words or legal phrases. Such citations and abbreviations are found in court decisions, statutes, regulations, journal articles, books, and other documents. Below is a basic list of very common abbreviations. Because publishers adopt different practices regarding how abbreviations are printed, one may find abbreviations with or without periods for each letter. For example, the Code of Federal Regulations may appear abbreviated as "C.F.R." or just as "CFR." Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...

For abbreviations not found in this list, here are alternate websites to search:

• • Abbreviations and Acronyms of the U.S. Government (maintained by IUPUI)
  • The Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations (maintained by Cardiff University).

For legal abbreviations not found online, try searching one of the following print sources. These publications are regularly found at law and other libraries.

• • Prince, Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations, 5th ed., 2001.
  • Garner, Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., 2004.
  • Raistrick, Index to Legal Citations and Abbreviations, 2nd ed., 1993.

• A. −− Atlantic Reporter
• A.2d −− Atlantic Reporter, 2nd Series
• Ala. Admin. Code -- Alabama Administrative Code (unofficial text)
• Ala. Code -- Code of Alabama 1975 (unofficial text)
• Alaska Admin. Code -- Alaska Administrative Code (unofficial text)
• Alaska Stat. -- Alaska Statutes (unofficial text)
• All ER -- All England Law Reports
• A.L.R. -- American Law Reports
• A.L.R.2d -- American Law Reports, 2nd Series
• A.L.R.3d -- American Law Reports, 3rd Series
• A.L.R.4th -- American Law Reports, 4th Series
• A.L.R.5th -- American Law Reports, 5th Series
• A.L.R.6th -- American Law Reports, 6th Series
• A.L.R. Fed. -- American Law Reports, Federal
• Am. Jur. -- American Jurisprudence
• Am. Jur. 2d. -- American Jurisprudence, 2nd Series
• Ariz. Admin. Code -- Arizona Administrative Code (unofficial text)
• Ariz. Admin. Reg. -- Arizona Administrative Register (unofficial text)
• Ariz. Rev. Stat. -- Arizona Revised Statutes (unofficial text)
• Ark. Code -- Arkansas Code (unofficial text)
• BFP -- Bona fide purchaser
• BR or B/R -- Bankruptcy (also the abbreviation for the United States bankruptcy courts reporter, West's Bankruptcy Reporter)
• c. −− Chapter
• cc. −− Chapters
• CA -- Class Action
• CB -- Case Book
• CC -- Commerce Clause
• C-C -- Counter-Claim
• CE -- Collateral Estoppel
• CL -- Common Law
• CNeg -- Contributory Negligence
• COA -- Court of Appeals
• Cx -- Constitution
• Cx-C -- Cross-Claim
• Cxl -- Constitutional
• Cal. Code -- California Code (unofficial text?^[1])
• Cal. Code Reg. -- California Code of Regulations (see: CCR below)
• CCR -- California Code of Regulations (official text?) (source: Thomson/West)
• CIF −− Coming into force
• C.F.R. −− Code of Federal Regulations
• CJS -- Corpus Juris Secundum
• Cong. Rec. -- Congressional Record
• Ct. Cl. -- the United States Court of Federal Claims Reporter
• Δ (Greek letter Delta) -- Defendant
• ER −− Employer
• EE −− Employee
• et al. -- Latin for "and others".
• F. −− Federal Reporter
• F.2d −− Federal Reporter, 2nd Series
• F.3d −− Federal Reporter, 3rd Series
• Fed. Reg. (sometimes FR) -- Federal Register (see Federal Register for full text from 1994 to date)
• Fed. R. Bankr. P. -- Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure
• Fed. R. Civ. P. (sometimes FRCP) −− Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
• Fed. R. Crim. P. -- Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
• Fed. R. Evid. (sometimes FRE) -- Federal Rules of Evidence
• F.Supp. −− Federal Supplement
• F.Supp.2d −− Federal Supplement, 2nd Series
• GATT -- General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
• HDC -- Holder in due course
• I.L.M. -- International Legal Materials
• IRB -- Internal Revenue Bulletin (from July 2003 to date)
• IRC -- Internal Revenue Code
• ISLN −− International Standards Lawyer Number
• J −− Judge
• JMOL −− Judgment as a Matter of Law
• JNOV −− Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict
• K −− Contract
• L/C -- Letter of credit
• LLC -- Limited liability company
• LLP -- Limited liability partnership
• N.E. −− North Eastern Reporter
• N.E.2d −− North Eastern Reporter, 2nd Series
• N.W. −− North Western Reporter
• N.W.2d −− North Western Reporter, 2nd Series
• ¶ (Pilcrow)-- Paragraph
• Π (Greek letter Pi) -- Plaintiff
• P. −− Pacific Reporter
• P.2d −− Pacific Reporter, 2nd Series
• P.3d −− Pacific Reporter, 3rd Series
• p. −− Page
• pp. −− Pages
• PL −− Public Law
• Pub.L. −− Public Law
• R.E. or R/E -- Real Estate
• Rev. Proc. -- Revenue Procedure (published in IRB)
• Rev. Rul. -- Revenue Ruling (published in IRB)
• s. or § −− Section
• ss. or §§ −− Sections
• S.C.R. (or SCR) -- Supreme Court Reports (Supreme Court of Canada)
• S.Ct. −− Supreme Court Reporter (Supreme Court of the United States)
• S.E. −− South Eastern Reporter
• S.E.2d −− South Eastern Reporter, 2nd Series
• SI −− Statutory Instruments
• S/J -- Summary judgment
• SMJ −− Subject Matter Jurisdiction
• So. −− Southern Reporter
• So.2d −− Southern Reporter, 2nd Series
• SOL −− Statute of Limitations
• SOR −− Statutory Orders and Regulations
• Stat. −− United States Statutes at Large (See United States Code)
• S.W. −− South Western Reporter
• S.W.2d −− South Western Reporter, 2nd Series
• S.W.3d −− South Western Reporter, 3rd Series
• T.D. -- Treasury Decision
• UCC −− Uniform Commercial Code
• UCMJ -- Uniform Code Of Military Justice (Laws of the U.S. military)
• UPC -- Uniform Probate Code
• U.S. −− United States Reports (beginning with v. 502 (1991))
• USC −− United States Code (A free website for the full text is at U.S. Code. This text is maintained by the U.S. Gov't Printing Office, but must be checked for revisions or amendments after its effective date.)
• USCA −− United States Code Annotated
• USCCAN -- United States Code Congressional and Administrative News
• USCS −− United States Code Service
• UST −− United States Treaties and Other International Agreements (See Treaty series.)
• WTO -- World Trade Organization
• W. Va. Code -- West Virginia Code (unofficial text)

The Atlantic Reporter is a regional case law reporter published by West Publishing in the United States. ... The All England Law Reports (abbreviated in citations to All E.R.) are a long-running series of law reports covering cases from the court system in England and Wales. ... In American law, the American Law Reports are a resource used by American lawyers to find a variety of sources relating to specific legal rules, doctrines, or principles. ... American Jurisprudence (ofter referred to as AmJur) is an encyclopedia of United States law set forth in a lengthy series of annually updated books, published by West Publishing. ... A bona fide purchaser (BFP)—or bona fide purchaser for value without notice (BFPFVWN)—in the law of real property, is an innocent party who purchases property for value, without notice of any other partys claim to the title of that property. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration—see text) in the United Kingdom. ... Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. ... Chapter has multiple meanings. ... In law, a class action is an equitable procedural device used in litigation for determining the rights of and remedies, if any, for large numbers of people whose cases involve common questions of law and fact. ... Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution, known as the Commerce Clause, states that Congress has the exclusive authority to manage trade activities between the states and with foreign nations and Indian tribes. ... Collateral estoppel, also sometimes known as issue preclusion, is a common law estoppel doctrine that prevents a person from relitigating an issue. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... Contributory negligence is a common law defence to a claim based on negligence, an action in tort. ... A cross-claim is a claim brought against a co-party in the same side of a lawsuit. ... Coming into force refers to the date and process by which legislation, or part of legislation, becomes a law. ... The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations (sometimes called administrative law) published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States. ... The Corpus Juris Secundum (C.J.S.) with subtitle: Corpus Juris Secundum: Complete Restatement Of The Entire American Law As Developed By All Reported Cases (1936- ) 101 volumes. ... The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. ... The United States Court of Federal Claims is a special court created on October 1, 1982 by the U.S. Congress and headquartered in Washington, D.C.. By federal law, claims brought against the United States must be brought in this court; however, as this court is established under Article... Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... Look up Δ, δ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. ... The Federal Reporter is a case law reporter in the United States that is published by West Publishing. ... The Federal Register contains most routine publications and public notices of United States government agencies. ... The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) govern civil procedure in the United States district courts, or more simply, court procedures for civil suits. ... The US General Federal Court method, step by step, on processing a criminal whom is arrested and charged with an indicment (Felony). ... The Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) are the rules that govern the admissibility of evidence in the United States federal court system. ... The Federal Supplement is a case law reporter published by West Publishing in the United States that includes select opinions of the United States district courts. ... The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (typically abbreviated GATT) was originally created by the Bretton Woods Conference as part of a larger plan for economic recovery after World War II. The GATTs main objective was the reduction of barriers to international trade. ... Holder in due course, or (HDC) is a term used in law to refer to an innocent party who purchases a negotiable instrument for value without any apparent defect in the instrument nor any notice of dishonor. ... The Internal Revenue Code (or IRC) (more formally, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended) is the main body of domestic statutory tax law of the United States organized topically, including laws covering the income tax (see Income tax in the United States), payroll taxes, gift taxes, estate taxes... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Judgment as a matter of law(JMOL) is a motion made by a party, during trial, claiming the opposing party has insufficient evidence to reasonably support its case. ... Judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or J.N.O.V. for short (English Judgment + Latin Non Obstante Veredicto) is the practice in American courts whereby the presiding judge in a civil case may overrule the decision of a jury and reverse or amend their verdict. ... A contract is a legally binding exchange of promises or agreement between parties that the law will enforce. ... After a contract is concluded between buyer and seller, buyers bank supplies a letter of credit to seller. ... This article is about a U.S.-specific corporate form; for a general discussion of entities with limited liability, see corporation. ... A limited liability partnership (LLP) has elements of partnerships and corporations. ... The North Eastern Reporter and North Eastern Reporter Second are United States regional case law reporters containing published U.S. state appellate court case decisions for: Illinois Indiana Massachusetts New York Ohio When cited, the North Eastern Reporter and North Eastern Reporter Second are abbreviated N.E. and N.E... The North Western Reporter and North Western Reporter Second are United States regional case law reporters containing published appellate court case decisions for: Iowa Michigan Minnesota Nebraska North Dakota South Dakota Wisconsin When cited, the North Western Reporter and North Western Reporter Second are abbreviated N.W. and N.W... A pilcrow. ... A pilcrow from the font Gentium, designed by J. Victor Gaultney, 2002. ... Block quoItalic textte A paragraph is a self-contained unit of a discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea, or the words of an author. ... Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... For other uses, see Pi (disambiguation) Pi (upper case Π, lower case Ï€ or Ï–) is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. ... A plaintiff, also known as a claimant or complainer, is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an action) before a court. ... The Pacific Reporter, Second Series The Pacific Reporter, Pacific Reporter Second and Pacific Reporter Third are United States regional case law reporters containing published appellate court case decisions for: Alaska Arizona California Colorado Hawaii Idaho Kansas Montana Nevada New Mexico Oklahoma Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming When cited, the Pacific Reporter... Real estate is a legal term that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings. ... Revenue Rulings are administrative rulings by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that apply the law to particular factual situations. ... The section sign (§; Unicode U+00A7, HTML entity §) is a typographical character used mainly to refer to a particular section of a document, such as a legal code. ... Look up section in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Supreme Court Reports (S.C.R.) is the official reporter of the Supreme Court of Canada. ... The Supreme Court of Canada (French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the... The South Eastern Reporter and South Eastern Reporter Second are United States regional case law reporters containing published appellate court case decisions for: Georgia North Carolina South Carolina Virginia West Virginia When cited, the South Eastern Reporter and South Eastern Reporter Second are abbreviated S.E. and S.E.2d... A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... Legal instrument is a legal term of art that is used for any written legal document such as a certificate, a deed, a will, an Act of Parliament or a law passed by a competent legislative body in municipal (domestic) or international law. ... Summary judgment is a legal term which means that a court has made a determination (a judgment) without a full trial. ... Subject matter jurisdiction is a legal term used in civil procedure to indicate that a case must be entered in the proper court of law based on the nature of the claim. ... The Southern Reporter and Southern Reporter Second are United States regional case law reporters containing published appellate court case decisions for: Alabama Florida Louisiana Mississippi When cited, the Southern Reporter and Southern Reporter Second are abbreviated So. ... A statute of limitations is a statute in a common law legal system that sets forth the maximum period of time, after certain events, that legal proceedings based on those events may be initiated. ... The United States Statutes at Large, commonly referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the official source for the laws and resolutions passed by Congress. ... The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States. ... The South Western Reporter, South Western Reporter Second and South Western Reporter Third are United States regional case law reporters containing published appellate court case decisions for: Arkansas Kentucky Missouri Tennessee Texas When cited, the South Western Reporter, South Western Reporter Second and Atlantic Reporter Third are abbreviated S.W... The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC or the Code) is one of a number of uniform acts that have been promulgated in conjunction with efforts to harmonize the law of sales and other commercial transactions in 49 states (all except Louisiana) within the United States of America. ... The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the foundation of military law in the United States. ... The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States. ... The United States Code (U.S.C.) is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States. ... “WTO” redirects here. ...

Notes

1. ^ For more information on official, unofficial, and authenticated online state laws and regulations, see Matthews & Baish, State-by-State Authentication of Online Legal Resources,American Association of Law Libraries, 2007.