Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: protective sweep
Pattern: A way of doing things that happens over and over again, so that it becomes easy to recognize. For example, if someone always treats people unfairly because of their race, that is a pattern of racial discrimination.
Definition: A pattern is a consistent way of behaving or a series of actions that are recognizable.
For example, a company may have a pattern of hiring only men for high-level positions, which is a pattern of gender discrimination. Another example could be a person who has a pattern of always being late for appointments, which is a pattern of tardiness.
These examples illustrate the definition of a pattern because they both involve consistent behavior that can be recognized and identified as a pattern. In both cases, the behavior is not a one-time occurrence but rather a repeated action that can be observed over time.