Criminal law (also known as penal law) is the body of law that punishes criminals for committing offences against the state. The goal of this process is that of achieving criminal justice. The major objective of criminal law is deterrence and punishment.

A three letter acronym (or initialism): Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

civil action brought before a court in order to recover a right, obtain damages for an injury, obtain an injunction to prevent an injury, or obtain a declaratory judgment to prevent future legal disputes. It usually involves dispute resolution of private law issues between individuals, business entities or non-profit organizations. However, it may involve public law issues in those jurisdictions that enable the government to be treated as if it were a private party in a lawsuit

Sometimes referred to as medical negligence, it applies to doctors, hospitals, and other health care professionals. As with general negligence, it describes conduct that deviates from a reasonable standard of care. It is usually necessary to prove that deviation by the testimony of expert witnesses in the same field of practice in which the health care worker was engaged at the time of the incident.

A civil action in which a party claims some sort of damage to their person caused by another party. These might be negligence actions (such as a car crash), or an intentional action (such as an assault or trespass).