# ADAC-Legal-US 0.9.0-draft.1 — Field Vocabulary Guide (Practitioner Edition)

**Audience**: US attorneys, litigation support teams, e-discovery and records professionals

This guide explains the vocabulary additions used by the United States jurisdiction profile.

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## 1. Inheritance

A `us` matter uses:
- base ADAC-Legal vocabulary, plus
- US-specific additions described here

Related subset guides:
- [`ADAC-Legal-US-LA-Profile-Vocabulary-Reference.md`](ADAC-Legal-US-LA-Profile-Vocabulary-Reference.md)
- [`ADAC-Legal-US-PR-Profile-Vocabulary-Reference.md`](ADAC-Legal-US-PR-Profile-Vocabulary-Reference.md)

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## 2. When to use `us`

Use `us` when the matter is governed by US federal law or by a common-law state system and no more specific subdivision profile is needed.

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## 3. Document Types (US additions)

| Term | Meaning in Practice | Use When |
|---|---|---|
| `complaint` | Initial civil pleading. | The matter begins with a complaint or petition. |
| `answer` | Responsive pleading with defenses/counterclaims. | The responding party answers the complaint. |
| `summons` | Court-issued summons. | A summons is issued to compel response/appearance. |
| `rule26InitialDisclosure` | FRCP initial disclosure package. | US federal discovery requires Rule 26 disclosures. |
| `interrogatoryResponse` | Written responses to interrogatories. | Discovery involves interrogatories. |
| `requestForProduction` | Request for production or response. | Discovery involves document/ESI requests. |
| `requestForAdmission` | Request for admission or response. | Discovery involves admissions practice. |
| `rule30b6Deposition` | Organizational deposition topic examination. | FRCP 30(b)(6) practice applies. |
| `stipulation` | Party agreement filed or exchanged in writing. | A formal stipulation is used. |
| `protectiveOrder` | Discovery confidentiality order. | The court restricts discovery disclosure. |
| `indictment` | Grand-jury criminal charge. | Criminal case begins by indictment. |
| `informationCharge` | Prosecutor-filed criminal charge without grand jury. | Criminal case proceeds by information. |
| `pleaBargainAgreement` | Written plea agreement. | Criminal plea resolution is documented. |
| `sentencingMemorandum` | Sentencing advocacy memorandum. | Criminal sentencing submissions are filed. |

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## 4. Confidentiality Levels (US additions)

| Term | Meaning in Practice | Use When |
|---|---|---|
| `aeoAttorneysEyesOnly` | Outside counsel only. | Protective order excludes clients/in-house teams. |
| `aeoSourceCode` | Highly restricted source-code review tier. | Source-code review requires controlled inspection. |
| `controlledUnclassified` | Sensitive but unclassified government information. | Government-sensitive material is not formally classified. |

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## 5. Matter Types (US additions)

| Term | Meaning in Practice |
|---|---|
| `chapter7Bankruptcy` | Chapter 7 liquidation proceeding. |
| `chapter11Bankruptcy` | Chapter 11 reorganization proceeding. |
| `chapter13Bankruptcy` | Chapter 13 wage-earner adjustment. |
| `chapter15Bankruptcy` | Cross-border insolvency proceeding. |
| `classAction` | Rule 23 class action. |
| `multidistrictLitigation` | Federal MDL proceeding. |
| `quiTam` | False Claims Act relator action. |
| `section1983` | Civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. |
| `socialSecurityAppeal` | Social Security review in federal court. |
| `federalHabeasCorpus` | Federal habeas proceeding. |

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## 6. Custody Actions (US additions)

| Term | Meaning in Practice | Use When |
|---|---|---|
| `producedInDiscovery` | Produced in discovery. | The production event is specifically part of US discovery. |
| `lodgedWithCourt` | Lodged with court pending ruling or disposition. | Material is submitted but not treated as ordinary filing. |
| `filedUnderSeal` | Filed under seal. | Court filing is sealed from public access. |
| `clawback` | Returned after inadvertent privileged production. | FRE 502 / privilege clawback practice applies. |

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## 7. Privilege Categories (US additions)

| Term | Meaning in Practice | Use When |
|---|---|---|
| `attorneyClientPrivilege` | US attorney-client privilege doctrine. | The privilege basis is the classic US doctrine. |
| `workProductDoctrine` | US work-product doctrine. | The protected material was prepared for litigation. |
| `jointDefensePrivilege` | Shared defense communications protection. | Co-parties share privileged communications in a common defense. |
| `commonInterestPrivilege` | US common-interest doctrine. | Shared legal-interest communications need a US-specific label. |

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## 8. Redaction Reasons (US additions)

| Term | Meaning in Practice |
|---|---|
| `foiaExemption1` | Classified defense/foreign-policy information. |
| `foiaExemption5` | Deliberative, attorney-client, or work-product style exemption. |
| `foiaExemption6` | Personal privacy exemption. |
| `foiaExemption7c` | Law-enforcement privacy exemption. |
| `grandJurySecret` | Grand jury secrecy protection. |
| `sealedIndictment` | Sealed indictment protection. |
| `taxReturnConfidentiality` | Tax return confidentiality. |
| `juvenileRecord` | Juvenile record confidentiality. |

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## 9. Common confusions

- Prefer `producedInDiscovery` over generic `produced` when the event is specifically a discovery production.
- Prefer `attorneyClientPrivilege` over `legalProfessionalPrivilege` when doctrinally precise US terminology is desired.
- Prefer `workProductDoctrine` over neutral `litigationPrivilege` in ordinary US practice.