Committees used on a temporary basis (often contrasted to formal committees) with no rights to formal recognition

Ad litem describes an appointment made specifically for the purposes of particular court proceedings, most commonly to represent or safeguard the interests of someone who cannot conduct the litigation themselves. In England and Wales and Northern Ireland, this typically refers to a “litigation friend” acting for a child or protected party in civil proceedings, or a “guardian” in family cases. In Scotland, the nearest equivalents are a curator ad litem or safeguarders in children’s hearings and related court processes. In Ireland, a guardian ad litem is frequently appointed in childcare and public law proceedings.The term itself is Latin and not usually defined in primary legislation, but is widely used in rules of court, case law and practice directions to describe a role confined to a specific action, appeal or application. An ad litem appointment does not ordinarily confer wider authority outside the proceedings. The concept is broadly consistent across the UK and Ireland: a court selects or approves a suitable person, often subject to independence and competence requirements, to make decisions, give instructions to solicitors and act in the best interests of the person they represent for the duration of the case.

Ad seriatim (often shortened to seriatim) describes, in legal practice, dealing with matters one after another, point by point, or judges delivering separate opinions in sequence. It is a Latin legal term, not defined by statute, used descriptively across civil, criminal and appellate contexts in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland.Typical usage includes: directions that issues be argued seriatim; submissions addressing grounds seriatim; and pleadings answering each numbered allegation seriatim. Under the Civil Procedure Rules (E&W) and equivalent rules elsewhere, parties should engage with allegations specifically; responding seriatim helps avoid impermissible “global” denials and clarifies what is admitted, denied or not admitted.In appellate courts, a seriatim judgment means each judge gives a separate reasoned judgment. This contrasts with a single judgment of the court. Practice varies: the UK Supreme Court and Court of Appeal often prefer a lead judgment with concurrences, though seriatim judgments still occur; the Irish Supreme Court and Court of Appeal frequently issue separate judgments; the Court of Session and Northern Ireland Court of Appeal may do either. Seriatim opinions can complicate identification of the ratio decidendi but enhance transparency of judicial reasoning.

Ad valorem describes a charge, duty or tax calculated by reference to the value of the property, goods or transaction, rather than a fixed (specific) amount. In UK and Irish legal practice it is commonly used for taxes, court fees and registration charges that are expressed as a percentage or banded proportion of value.The term appears in various statutes and subordinate legislation across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland (for example in stamp duty, stamp duty land tax, land and buildings transaction tax, and court fee orders), but “ad valorem” itself is primarily a descriptive Latin expression rather than a single, codified definition.Key legal features include: the need for a valuation or consideration figure as the basis of assessment; exposure to changes in market value; and potential for disputes over valuation methodology. Ad valorem structures are contrasted with flat or specific fees.Usage is broadly consistent across the four jurisdictions, though the detailed regimes (including rates, thresholds, reliefs and valuation rules) are jurisdiction-specific and governed by the relevant taxing or fee legislation.

The making of an adaptation of a copyright work is an act restricted by the copyright in a literary, dramatic or musical work.

means scientific research that directly contributes to enabling adaptation.

means the potential of a system to adapt.

means a structured process of flexible decision-making that incorporates learning from outcomes and new scientific information to enable resource managers to manage and respond to climate change impacts.

Multiplexor equipment enabling the removal or addition of bit-streams from larger assemblies.

A patent (or patent application) cannot be amended to include added matter.

Where a member of a defined benefit scheme is credited with additional years of pensionable service.

TMT analysis: In this article, John Groom and Serena King of Baker McKenzie LLP consider what ‘addictive design’ means and how regulators in the UK and EU are seeking to address it. The commentary examines which design features are attracting scrutiny, how these features might be captured by existing legal frameworks, and the role of risk assessment and mitigation obligations under the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) and Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, the EU Digital Services Act. It also briefly considers the potential implications following recent developments in the EU and US, and the anticipated direction of travel in the UK.