Any matter of fact that a party to a claim or action offers to provide to prove or disprove an issue in the case. The strongest type of evidence is that which provides direct proof of the truth of an assertion. At the other extreme is evidence that is merely consistent with an assertion but does not rule out other, contradictory assertions, and may be viewed as circumstantial evidence.

A decision of a court regarding the rights and liabilities of the parties to legal proceedings. Judgments generally provide the court’s explanation as to why it has chosen to make a particular decision.

An attempt to settle a dispute with the help of a neutral third party where all parties are actively involved in the decision-making process. The individual who intervenes in order to help the other parties settle their dispute is called a mediator.