Actual Bodily Harm (ABH) offences are considered as an offence of a higher degree of assault in United Kingdom, Hong Kong and New South Wales. These offences are regarded as more serious than regular assaults. In United Kingdom these offences are included in Section 47.

Actual Bodily Harm

ABH refers to an unlawful physical contact that leads to actual bodily harm. This injury may not be long term or permanent but trivial and minor physical injuries falls under ‘common assault’. There are certain types of injuries that can be included in Section 47. These are cuts and slashes that are not superficial or are wounding, minor bone fractures, temporary loss of sensory functions, tooth loss and multiple bruising. In order to be charged with ABH, there must be Actus Reus or Mens Rea.

Actus reus

The Actus Reus is the physical aspect of the crime. This can be a voluntary act or omission. If there has been a failure to ac,t which has resulted in physical, unlawful harm, then it will be regarded as omission.

Mens rea

The intentions or the recklessness of the actions of the defendant constitutes the Mens Rea. If the defendant intended to apply unlawful physical contact to the victim then it will constitute Mens Rea. Since recklessness is considered as a presentation of a guilty mind, such actions too will be considered under Mens Rea. Those charged under Section 47 should seek legal advice to understand what he/she has been accused of.

IANAL can be abbreviated as “I am not a Lawyer”. This is usually used by the non-lawyers who try to escape unauthorized practice of law. At times, the lawyers also use this to avoid their clients when they do not have enough information about the concerned case and unable to suggest something to the addressee. This abbreviation is usually found in law related issues. The usage of this abbreviation warns the reader not to believe the opinion as an advice.

There are various laws in different jurisdictions about giving advice on legal issues. There are also provisions about taking opinions from a practicing lawyer without any legal qualifications and registration. Carrying out the legal advice of a person who is not supposed to give one might lead to the charge of Unauthorized Practice of Law.

IANYL

Another form IANYL which suggests “I am not your Lawyer”, can be used by a lawyer who wants to comment on a message board which could represent the commentator to be a lawyer but it does never represent the commentator to be the reader. IANYL also suggests that the attorney client privilege does not protect the comments.

There are case standards in law which determine the comments which can cross through the lines. Attorneys are allowed to use a disclaimer to minimize the confusion. IANAL is considered as one of the disclaimers.

In US military, Non-judicial punishment refers to a form of military justice that is also known as ‘Article 15′. The main purpose of NJP is to discipline service members for minor acts of offence like reporting late for duty, sleeping on watch and disobeying standing orders. The majority of the crimes in military are dealt through NJP.

Hearing & Punishments

The commander needs to notify the accused of his intention to impose NJP for his alleged misconduct. However, service members have an option of rejecting it and request for a court-martial. If the NJP is not accepted by the accused, the NJP hearing is cancelled and the commander must take a decision of whether to seek court-martial for the accused.

The actual punishments under NJP are often limited to confinement in quarters, additional duties, withhold of pay and reduction in grade. The extent of these punishments also depends, to a large extent, on the ranking of the officer imposing the punishment and the rank of the accused service member.

The Military Rules of Evidence do not apply to the imposition of NJP. The officer imposing the punishment must ensure that the accused has been given proper notice and he/she has got adequate time to respond. The accused has every right to appeal the imposition of NJP if he/she feels that proper justice is not meted out to him.

A Will is a legal document that contains instructions for the distribution of the property upon your death. However, it must be executed and witnessed in accordance with all legal formalities so that the Will becomes legally valid. A Will is considered very important as it helps you to value your friends and family. You have an opportunity to gift all your assets to those who are close to your heart. When you are giving your estate to your loved ones you are really giving them something significant. These gifts are known as bequest.

What can I do in a Will?

A Will empowers you to make a choice – what you want to do with your property. The Executor will carry out your instructions as stated in the Will and distribute your estate accordingly. The Executor is regarded as the appointed administrator of the Will and his sole job is to ensure that he carries out the instructions that are written in the Will and divide the estate according to the law.

What happens if you do not make a Will?

If you don’t make a Will and you pass away before you can even make one then the property will be divided according to law. The estate will be divided among the surviving relatives in strict accordance with a formula. But if you do not have any surviving relative then the property will pass to the Crown (UK) or the State (USA). This actually means that when you do not make a Will you are actually depriving that person who did the most for you.