patent

n. an exclusive privilege granted to an inventor to make, use or sell an invention for a set number of years (e.g. UK 20 years, Canada, 17 years).
  She took out a patent for her new, revolutionary mousetrap, but she's having trouble finding investors.

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personal property

n. all property except land — see real property

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plaintiff

n. (US) the party which begins a civil action. Today in England the term is claimant. [opp. defendant]

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plea

n. plea has come to mean in the popular vernacular the assertion by a criminal defendant...whether he is guilty or not guilty. More generally, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a civil or criminal case.
plead v.

  Two US Marines pleaded guilty to giving an Iraqi prisoner electric shocks while they were on guard at Al Mahmudiya prison

plea bargain n. an agreement to plead guilty in exchange for a lower sentence

pleadings n.

that part of a party's case where the facts and legal arguments which support that party's position are set out.

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precedent

n. a decision about a particular law case which makes it likely that other similar cases will be decided in the same way
  From the 1892 Plessy v. Ferguson case, the precedent of "separate but equal" was set, resulting in separate schools for white and black children.

  In civil law systems, court decisions do not create binding precedents.

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probate

n. legal process used to determine the validity of a will before the court authorizes distribution of an estate — see will
   According to probate records, Mrs. Bartush died without a will, and Mr. Bartush, as next of kin, represented the estate before the probate court.

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proof
n. (usually uncountable) a fact or piece of information which shows that something exists or is true — see evidence
  In the United States, you have to show proof of your age to be able to drink alcohol in a bar.
  A guilty verdict on the charge of violating the Archaeological Resources Protection Act would have required proof that the men knew or should have known that the petroglyphs were valuable artifacts.
to prove - to show that something is true
  Attorneys in Michigan say residents of the state can win damages from drug makers like Merck; however, they must prove a company suppressed or misrepresented drug safety data information that would cause the Food and Drug Administration to refuse approval or withdraw the drug from the market.

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property

n. everything a person owns
There are many classifications of property, the most common being between real property or immovable property (real estate such as land or buildings) and chattel, or moveable or personal property (things which are not attached to the land such as a bicycle, a car or a hammer) and between public (property belonging to everybody or to the state) and private property. see personal property, real property
  Most of the 2,281 articles in the French Civil Code dealt with the right of property. This was defined by art. 544 as "the right to enjoy and to dispose of one’s property in the most absolute fashion."

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prosecute

v. To bring a criminal action against a person and to administer it until the conclusion of the court proceedings.
  The California official prosecuting Michael Jackson on child abuse charges is "motivated by personal animosity", lawyers for the singer have claimed.

prosecutor n. a government official who conducts criminal prosecutions on behalf of the state
  "This is a case about hate and anger," said the prosecutor, Peter Hinckley, an assistant Manhattan district attorney.
(here prosecutor is the function and district attorney is the title of the office held by Mr. Hinckley)

the prosecution n. – the lawyers who represent the state (UK--the Crown) in a criminal case.
(UK) Crown Prosecution Lawyers are hired by the government to administer the prosecution of criminal charges in the courts (the Crown Prosecution Service).
(US) see district attorney