Chapter 2 - Legal Personality Flashcards
The law divides persons generally into two broad categories:
- natural persons
- juristic persons (or corporations)
The crown is a special case which does not fit either into natural persons or juristic persons. It is a legal entity which for most purposes is, more or less equivalent to…
The government
The crown includes the reigning monarch who has both a ?????? Capacity and…
Private Capacity as a natural legal person and an official capacity as part of the crown.
The legal position of the crown is generally now governed by…
Statute, the crown proceedings act 1947
For the purposes of law, all human beings are referred to as…
Natural legal persons.
Being a natural legal person Begins and ends…
At birth and death
Some classes of natural person have a special status which may carry with it a limited capacity, that is more limited….
Rights and duties
Those with a limited capacity include…
Minors, persons of unsound mind, bankrupts and aliens.
What is status?
Indicates that a person is part of a particular class or group. Each of which imposes particular obligations and gives particular rights.
A persons status indicates that he belongs to a particular group whereas capacity…
Capacity refers to what that person is legally entitled to do.
Juristic persons, or corporations, are non-human legal entities. For this reason they are sometimes known as…
Artificial legal persons.
Who is referred to as a minor?
The family law reform act 1969 reduced the age of majority from 21 to 18 years and a person who is under that age is referred to in law either as an infant or a minor, although the latter term is more common.
With regards to contracts, there are special rules(discussed more in chapter 4) with regards to minors because…
Special rules to protect minors to enter into contracts.
In the law of torts,(discussed more in chapter 3) minors are usually…
Fully responsible for their acts.
As far as property is cancerned for minors, they may own personal property such as clothing, books, sports equipment or a car but may not hold what is known as…
A legal estate in land.
A minor cannot own a house outright but can do so indirectly as a …
Beneficiary of a trust
Fur the purposes of criminal law, minors divide into two classes:
- full criminal responsibility applies in the case of minors over the age of 10
- children under the age of 10 ads presumed incapable of committing s crime and this presumption can not be rebutted.
Minors involved in litigation must sue through a …
Next friend - an adult who is primarily responsible for any costs awarded against the minor. Minors also defend civil actions through a litigation friend, but a defendant friend/litigation friend is not liable for costs.
The father, mother or legal guardian of the minor normally acts in these capacities.
A minor cannot vote at elections and must be 18 before they can take a …
Seat in Parliament or on the council of a local authority
A minor cannot marry under the age of 16 or marry without…
Consent (usually of the parents) under the age of 18
A minor may not sit on…
A jury
A minor cannot make a valid will unless…
They are a member of the armed service on active military service or a seaman at sea.
In many cases the legal capacity of people who are suffering from mental disorder is restricted, depending on the seriousness of the …
Illness.
Many of the provisions regarding those of unsound mind are detailed in the…
Mental health acts.