“A mere spes successionis must be distinguished from a contingent right. If Matilda has nursed her invalid friend for thirty years, she may have every hope of succeeding to the property, but she has no right.” George Whitecross Paton, A Textbook of Jurisprudence 306 (G.W. Paton & David P. Derham eds., 4th ed. 1972).
spes successionis
spes successionis (speez s[schwa]k-sesh-ee-oh-nis). [Latin “hope of succession”] Hope of succeeding to a right.