The Law Dictionary for Everyone
The term “inure,” as far as the legal field is concerned, describes the point at which a new law or agreement goes into effect. The term “inure” can also refer to the act of becoming used to something unpleasant, such as an abusive environment. For example, inure, as it applies to children, refers to those whose parents regularly engage in […]
Read moreWhen someone has a “fiduciary duty,” this means that he is responsible for acting in a way that benefits another person. An example of a fiduciary duty is a legal guardian taking care of a minor. The legal guardian’s fiduciary duty is to make the best decisions on the minor’s behalf, such as medical care and the school the minor […]
Read moreThe term legatee refers to any person or entity that receives an inheritance from a will. This would include anyone from long, lost relatives, to a charitable foundation — essentially anyone, or any entity, to whom the person making the will chose to leave his assets. To explore this concept, consider the following legatee definition. Definition of Legatee Pronounced leg-uh-tee […]
Read moreThe Latin phrase inter vivos translates as “between persons.” In the legal system, an inter vivos trust is also known as a “living trust.” This type of trust is one that can distribute assets to a beneficiary either during the trustor’s lifetime, or after his death. The duration of such a trust is determined when the trust is created. An […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Riggs v. Palmer, New York Court of Appeals, (1889) Case summary for Riggs v. Palmer: Francis Palmer executed a will, leaving his estate to his daughter and grandson. Palmer’s grandson, Elmer Palmer, poisoned Palmer to death and was later convicted of his murder. Palmer’s daughters brought a claim requesting the court to find Elmer’s […]
Read moreA constructive trust is a legal concept created by the courts that describes the remedy that can be sought when a person holds the legal right to property that he should not be able to keep. This property is property that is illegally gained through fraud, wrongdoing, or some other kind of reprehensible behavior. The purpose of a constructive trust […]
Read moreThe term condition precedent refers to something that must happen, or a circumstance that must exist, before something else will happen. This is a common issue in contract law, where one party is to perform his duties under the contract only after the other party has performed his. For instance, Bob will install the new air conditioner at Jack’s home […]
Read moreA testamentary trust is a trust that is specified in a person’s will, and that is handled upon that person’s death. A will can contain more than one testamentary trust. Testamentary trusts are different from inter vivos (“living”) trusts, which are trusts that are created and handled while the creator is still alive. To explore this concept, consider the following […]
Read moreA testator is a person who creates a will. Commonly, a female who makes a will is referred to as a “testatrix,” though some do not follow this formal title. A will is a document that someone can create either himself, or with the help of an attorney, that dictates who will inherit his property and assets upon his death. […]
Read morePrimogeniture is a historical term that refers to the rights and responsibilities of the first-born child among siblings in a family. When used in the legal sense, the term is used to discuss the right of the eldest son in the family to inherit his parents’ estate upon their death. The initial purpose of determining primogeniture was to keep an […]
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