Cognovit

Cognovit, or "cognovit actionem," is the term applied to the document by which a defendant, on being sued, confesses the plaintiff's debt and suffers judgment to be entered against him. It is often adopted as a form of security for money, the course being for the debtor to execute a warrant to some solicitor named by the creditor, empowering him to enter judgment against the elebtor in an action for a specific sum. It is subject to restrictive regulations, the most important being that it must be explained to the debtor by a solicitor specially appointed by him, who must attest his signature to the document.