There were no legal ties for these assignments, so a settler could dismiss a convict woman freely.

The thought of permanent, legal ties made me nauseous.

For some the strain of living together without legal ties leads to considerable anguish.

If Patrick wins his suit, a spokeswoman for the department said, he will be the first child independently to sever legal ties with a parent.

So why do I want a legal tie?

Last week, King Hussein said he was severing legal and administrative ties with the territories.

Jordan renounced legal ties to the West Bank in 1988.

An adoption order cuts all legal ties with the birth parents and transfers parental responsibility to the adopters.

An exception applies where legal ties to the German parent are maintained.