Latin Legal Terms

Actus legitimus refers to a formal legal act that the law recognises as valid in itself and that traditionally cannot be made subject to a condition or term. In South African private-law and procedural writing, the phras

Boni mores denotes the legal convictions of the community and functions as a normative standard in South African law. It is used especially in delict and contract to assess wrongfulness, public policy, and whether conduc

This term denotes an address chosen by a party in a contract or legal instrument as the place where legal notices, court process, and other communications may validly be served. In South African law, service at the chose

Ex lege denotes that a right, obligation, status, or consequence arises directly from the law itself rather than from agreement, judicial discretion, or a separate act of the parties. In South African law, the phrase is

Mala fide, which translates as 'dishonestly or unfairly' in English, refers to a party's intention or behavior that is not in good faith. In the context of South African law, this term is often used in contract law and d

This phrase expresses the limit of liability in enrichment law: a defendant is liable only to the extent of the enrichment actually retained. In South African law it is used to qualify enrichment claims so that recovery

Restitutio in integrum refers to the restoration of a person to the position they occupied before a prejudicial act, judgment, or procedural default occurred. In South African law, the term appears both in substantive pr