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Simple English definitions for legal terms

Special damages

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A quick definition of Special damages:

Special damages are a type of legal compensation that can be specifically calculated, like the cost of fixing a car or paying for medical bills. This is different from general damages, which are for things like emotional harm that don't have a set cost. In contract law, special damages are irregular damages that happen because of a breach of contract, like physical injuries, while general damages are what you would expect to get from the contract being broken.

A more thorough explanation:

Special damages are a type of legal compensation that can be specifically calculated and proven in court. This term can have different meanings depending on the area of law and jurisdiction.

In tort law, special damages refer to damages that have a clear monetary value, such as medical expenses, lost wages, or property damage. These damages can be calculated and proven with receipts, bills, and other evidence. They are contrasted with general damages, which refer to damages that do not have a set monetary cost, such as pain and suffering or emotional distress.

For example, if someone is injured in a car accident and incurs medical expenses, those expenses would be considered special damages. The injured person can provide receipts and bills to prove the amount of money they spent on medical treatment.

In contract law, special damages are also known as consequential damages. They refer to damages that are not a direct result of a breach of contract, but are a consequence of that breach. These damages are not always foreseeable and may not be included in the contract itself.

For example, if a contractor breaches a contract to build a house, and as a result, the homeowner has to pay for a hotel while waiting for the house to be completed, the cost of the hotel would be considered special damages. These damages are not a direct result of the breach of contract, but are a consequence of it.

special circumstances | Special education

General

General chat about the legal profession.

General >T14 Off Topic

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HurriedNippyPirate

16:24

Anyone here from ND

CTCSH

16:47

No, just asians and new yorkers

babybunny

18:07

i’m new york adjacent so it’s nice to feel included

Silver

18:35

Would you guys consider going to Law school out of state or should I try and stay In-state for cost?

TruthTheX

18:41

It depends tbh. Can you get scholarships do you want to practice in your state what’s your debt tolerance… idk there’s a lot that goes into applying that needs to be considered. Personally I don’t wanna practice in my state and the schools in my state don’t transfer to the area(s) I would prefer to practice in I’d have been screwed had I stayed in state so in my case I definitely consider going out of state haha

Silver

18:45

In State would be Illinois, I don't quite know where I want to be though. Not applying till end of 2024.

KnowledgeableRitzyWasp

18:47

@TruthTheX: praying for your gulc uprising

TruthTheX

19:15

Ty me too 🙏

TruthTheX

19:15

@Silver: if you want to practice in IL then there’s likely no better school than the in state schools

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

19:53

@SpectacularDefiantMouse: yeah, like condemnedpuffygnome, I'm not really preparing for law school by taking some courses or anything like that. The only way I'm going to be preparing is by getting myself into a rhythm schedule-wise, well enough in advance of the first day of classes, that I think will be necessary for me to do well 1L.

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

19:54

I'm very much not in rhythm now. lol. But I've 3-ish months.

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

19:55

I've got*

jb2028

19:55

@Silver: Cost of attendance is what matters. $37K in-state tuition = $47K sticker price with a $10K scholarship elsewhere, $70K sticker with a $40K scholarship is better than either, $40K sticker with a $0 scholarship worse than both.

jb2028

19:55

(Assuming placement etc. is comparable)

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

19:57

Congrats on Harvard, jb2028. Any reason you applied to A&M but not Texas at Austin? Seems odd.

jb2028

19:58

@BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool: Family connection, they gave me a CAS waiver so it was free

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

20:00

Ah, gotcha.

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

20:04

Question for the chat about judicial internships (not externships). My understanding is that judicial internships (as opposed to externships) during the summer are unpaid. How, then, do people who get them pay living expenses during the summer? Do they just make loans stretch for 12 months when they're only meant for 9? I heard that some people supplement the internship with, e.g., a research assistant position with a law professor. But would such a person both do the internship and the RA position at the same time? And if so, is that too much work or feasible?

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

20:04

I don't know what the workload is really like for judicial internships and RA positions.

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

20:05

Also curious what other things people might do to supplement an unpaid judicial internship over the summer with something paid.

jb2028

20:20

@BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool: Many schools will provide some type of stipend for unpaid summer roles with a public interest employer (defined broadly, often includes any gov or judicial job)

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

20:35

Right, I thought so. At BU, though, it appears that what's called BU's public interest project grant is not available to supplement judicial internships. And I think its public service summer funding is also limited. Oh well.

jb2028

21:13

@BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool: FWIW they allude to some type of funding ("BU Law has implemented separate funding sources for judicial interns") in this packet https://www.bu.edu/law/files/2023/11/Public-Service-Summer-Funding-Applicant-Packet-2024.pdf

jb2028

21:13

Although they don't give details, and as you note they don't guarantee funding to everyone (which is in line with other $ they offer, e.g. the LRAP)

TruthTheX

21:14

Anyone know how hard it is to do pro bono work as a 1L for judges or fed gov in general in the D.C. market

TruthTheX

21:14

Idk much about pro bono opportunities period but thinking I wanna try to get some work experience as soon as humanly possible

TruthTheX

21:14

When I begin law school I mean

jb2028

21:15

Lines up with BU's limited endowment: $81K per student a few years ago, i.e., enough to support a payout of about $3,250 per student per year at a 4% payout rate https://leiterlawschool.typepad.com/leiter/2022/05/per-student-value-of-law-school-endowments-2021.html

jb2028

21:17

Seems like they're trying to compete with other schools on program headlines (we fund X, Y, and Z and we have an LRAP) but the endowment can't really support that, so they have all these programs but don't guarantee funding. Would not rely on that if you have alternatives.

BankruptcyAndRestructuringLawIsCool

21:19

Thanks for those links. I'll give the public service summer funding information packet, in particular, a careful read. But yeah, your takeaway seems right.

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