legal opinion
7
6.1
- noun
- /ˈliːɡəl əˈpɪnjən/
- Formal
:
opinión legal
- The judge issued a detailed legal opinion explaining the court's decision on the case.
- seek a legal opinion
Examples
-
Under the Judiciary Act of 1789, the attorney general is authorized to render legal opinions when asked for them by the president.
Academic text (2008) -
One reporter, citing expert legal opinion, argued that although such acts may not constitute privacy infringement, derivative works that cast someone in a bad light.
Academic text (2016) -
What matters is what his legal opinion says when it finally comes down.
-
- Tom, I need your legal opinion.
-
However, it seems the doctors at no stage sought legal opinion or applied for a hearing before a judge.
Blog text (19) -
The lower court, when deciding the case again, is then bound by the legal opinion of the higher court.
Academic text (2007) -
Answers that require a legal opinion, particularly those involving divorce and court orders, cannot be provided.
Blog text (16) -
I have been asked to express my legal opinion as to how the Palestinians should sign and approve the Interim Agreement.
Academic text (2000) -
But this matter would require more detailed research by your experts before I could express a formal legal opinion one way or another on its advisability under international law.
Academic text (2000) -
Guided by a legal opinion from John Yoo, the Bush Administration began shipping some high-value detainees to the US Naval Base, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Synonyms
430
4.9
An official written explanation by a judge for a court decision
258
7.0
A written statement by a judge explaining why they decided a case
10
6.3
More than half of the judges agree on a written explanation of the court's decision
7
7.7
A written statement by one or more judges who disagree with the court's decision
2
7.9
A separate statement by a judge who agrees with the decision but gives different reasons
1
9.9
A court decision made by all judges without saying who wrote it
How Authoritative
- Specialized
185
6.3
- Formal
10
6.3
- Formal
7
6.1
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'legal' (pertaining to law) + 'opinion' (a judgment or view) yields an opinion related to the law. A B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a law-related statement or judgment (the formal judicial/written nuance is specialized but the basic meaning is transparent). Cross-linguistically similar formations (e.g. Spanish 'opinión legal') make this logic familiar to learners.
Etymology
The phrase legal opinion comes from the image of a judge writing down their opinion about a legal matter. That written explanation gives the judge's reasons, so today a legal opinion means the formal paper that tells why a court made a decision.