For over a century, writers have had the benefit of using Roget's Thesaurus for literary composition. During that time other thesauri have been prepared, but members of the legal profession never had a thesaurus to assist them in their professional work. To the members of the judiciary, clear and precise language is not only important, it is mandatory. Every word that is written is subject to close scrutiny and interpretation. These words become precedents and shape the future development of the law. To members of the bar, persuasive language is extremely important. Written arguments are regularly submitted to the Courts to sway the outcome of pending litigation. Plain-language laws, which are being enacted regularly, also require lawyers to simplify complex legalistic language. To students of the law, precise and accurate expression is similarly critical whenever the nature and functions of jurisprudence are evaluated and these assessments are reduced to writings. This reference book was compiled to assist judges, lawyers, and students of the law in their desire to convey their thoughts, arguments, and contentions, effectively and persuasively. The concept of a legal thesaurus was born out of necessity. It had its beginning in 1974 when the author was preparing a memorandum of law and found himself continuously repeating the same legal words. He looked for a legal thesaurus and learned that no such volume had ever been published. He resolved to have such a book compiled. Five years later, under his direction, a staff of lawyers, librarians and trained professionals have fulfilled the need that was foreseen. This book provides the broadest array of words that fit the thought to be conveyed. AlI expressions and colloquialisms that are irrelevant to the law have been omitted. Since a wide range of words is provided, some of which are not exact synonyms, the user should consult a legal dictionary to determine precise meanings, nuances, and variations in usage. Only when the true meaning of each synonym offered is understood can the user select the most appropriate word. At the outset, three criteria were used by the editors to select the main entries which are included in this book: First, those words that are strictly legal; second, those words that are not strictly legal but which are commonly used by members of the legal profession; and third, those words that are not legal and not widely used by lawyers, but are sufficiently sophisticated to warrant their use by attorneys. ln the selection of the main headings, words which have multiple parts of speech were evaluated. ln each case the noun, adjective, verb or adverb form was selected which was most commonly used by attorneys. Whenever a main heading has more than one usage it is divided into separate subheadings. For the convenience of the user, these subheadings are arranged alphabetically. The book also provides an alphabetical listing of associated legal concepts under each main entry. ln this way, writers will be able to find complete legal concepts when only a single, central word comes to mind. Foreign phrases, which are used in the practice of law, are also included under each main heading. Most reference books list foreign phrases alphabetically under the first letter of the foreign word. This book, however, lists foreign phrases under their pivotal English concept. To assist the user in locating synonyms, in addition to the alphabetically arranged listings in the main entries, there is also a full index. The author would welcome and appreciate suggestions of addition alen tries and changes for the expansion and improvement of the next edition.