corporation sole 独体法人 指在任一时间内只有一名成员的法律实体，其作为法人的永久存续性是通过该成员的继承而实现的。它通常是为了取得某种法律行为能力或特权，从而根据法律而创设的。在英国，典型的独体法人存在于教俗两个方面，例如，国王、主教、堂区长〔rector〕等均属之，在宗教方面的独体法人尤多。独体法人最主要的特征在于，其成员通过其职位〔office〕而拥有的财产(而非其个人财产)，在该成员死亡后将转移给其职位继承人〔successor in office〕而非其遗产继承人〔personal representatives〕。
A series of successive persons holding an office; a continuous legal personality that is attributed to successive holders of certain monarchical or ecclesiastical positions, such as kings, bishops, rectors, vicars, and the like. • This continuous personality is viewed, by legal fiction, as having the qualities of a corporation. Cf. corporation aggregate.