Latin Legal Terms

Definitions and South-African-law usage notes for the Latin terms judges, lawyers, and textbooks routinely cite. Free, indexed, and updated as new terms are curated from our source library.

solatium
consolation; solace
In South African law, solatium refers to monetary compensation awarded for non-patrimonial harm, especially injured feelings, pain, suffering, or loss of amenities of life. The term is commonly encountered in delict and
#delict#constitutional#persons
sui generis
of its own kind; unique in its class
Sui generis describes something that is legally unique and does not fit neatly within established categories. In South African law, the expression is often used to characterise institutions, rights, or statutory arrangem
#constitutional#procedure#property