Legal Glossary
Key terms used in Oregon family court proceedings and throughout the CasePilot platform. Definitions are written for self-represented litigants, not attorneys.
- Citation
- A reference to a specific source document, including the verbatim quote, page number, and document identifier. CasePilot requires every factual claim in a draft to carry a citation — no assertion ships without it.
- Contradiction
- A conflict between two or more pieces of evidence — for example, a sworn declaration stating one income figure while a W-2 shows a different figure. CasePilot's detection engine classifies contradictions by priority: sworn vs. documentary (Priority 1), self-contradiction across filings (Priority 2), and third-party disagreement (Priority 3).
- Declaration
- A sworn written statement submitted to the court as evidence. In Oregon family court, declarations are governed by ORCP 1 E and must comply with UTCR formatting requirements. CasePilot generates declaration drafts marked [DRAFT — ATTORNEY REVIEW REQUIRED].
- Discovery
- The pre-trial process by which parties exchange evidence and information. In Oregon family law, discovery may include interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions, and depositions. CasePilot helps organize and analyze documents received in discovery.
- Evidence
- Any document, record, communication, or exhibit that supports or contradicts a factual claim in a legal proceeding. CasePilot ingests evidence files and extracts page-level text with offsets so every citation remains traceable to its source byte.
- Findings
- The court's formal conclusions of fact and law after a hearing or trial. A judge's findings are entered into the record and form the basis for the final order. CasePilot helps parties prepare evidence-backed arguments that respond to the court's anticipated areas of inquiry.
- Jurisdiction
- The authority of a court to hear and decide a case, defined by geography and subject matter. In family law, jurisdiction is typically the state and county where the child has resided for the past six months (UCCJEA), or where the parties were last domiciled together. CasePilot currently supports Oregon jurisdiction rules.
- Petitioner
- The party who files the initial petition initiating the family court proceeding. Also referred to as the moving party. The petitioner bears the burden of proof on claims in their petition.
- Respondent
- The party who responds to the petition. The respondent may file a cross-petition asserting their own claims. CasePilot labels evidence by party (Petitioner / Respondent) to make cross-referencing declarations straightforward.
- Subpoena
- A court order requiring a person or entity to produce documents or appear as a witness. Subpoenas duces tecum compel production of specific documents. In family law, subpoenas are commonly used to obtain financial records from employers, banks, and the IRS.
- Trial Brief
- A written document submitted before trial summarizing the party's legal arguments, the evidence they intend to present, and the relief they are requesting. CasePilot can generate a citation-backed trial brief outline from the evidence in a case.
- UTCR
- Uniform Trial Court Rules — the procedural rules that govern all Oregon trial courts, including formatting requirements for documents submitted to the court. UTCR 2.010 specifies font size, margins, and page limits for declarations and motions. CasePilot exports are pre-formatted to UTCR standards.