age of capacity

The age, usu. defined by statute as 18 years, at which a person is legally capable of agreeing to a contract, maintaining a lawsuit, or the like.

• A person may be authorized to make certain critical personal deci-sions at an earlier age than the general age of capacity, such as the decision whether to bear a child, to donate blood, to obtain treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, to marry, or to write a will. The age of capacity to write a will is typically not 18, but 14.

— Also termed age of majority; legal age; lawful age. See CAPACITY(2). [Cases: Infants 1. C.J.S. Infants §§ 2–4.]

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词条贡献者

法律翻译王漾，在一家顶尖英国律师事务所的上海办公室担任全职法律翻译，专注翻译各类与大中华业务有关的法律文件。