- next friend
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next friend n: a person appearing in or appointed by a court to act on behalf of a person (as a child) lacking legal capacity
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
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n.A person who acts on behalf of an infant, incompetent, or other person who is not sui juris and is therefore unable to represent himself or herself adequately in the action; the next friend is not a party to the suit and acts as an officer of the court; see also ad litem, guardian
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
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A person, usually a relative, who appears in court on behalf of a minor or incompetent plaintiff, but who is not a party to the lawsuit. For example, children are often represented in court by their parents as next friends.Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
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next friend/guardian ad litemSee litigation friend.Related links
Practical Law Dictionary. Glossary of UK, US and international legal terms. www.practicallaw.com. 2010.
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n. An attorney or other competent person appointed to appear in a litigation to represent the interests of a minor or incompetent.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
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An individual who acts on behalf of another individual who does not have the legal capacity to act on his or her own behalf.The individual in whose name a minor's lawsuit is brought, or who appears in court to represent such minor's interest. The French term prochein ami has been used to designate such an individual, but the term guardian ad litem is more commonly used.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
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I
An individual who acts on behalf of another individual who does not have the legal capacity to act on his or her own behalf.The individual in whose name a minor's lawsuit is brought, or who appears in court to represent such minor's interest. The French term prochein ami has been used to designate such an individual, but the term guardian ad litem is more commonly used.II One acting without formal appointment as guardian for the benefit of an infant, a person of unsound mind not judicially declared incompetent, or other person under some disability.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
- next friend
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n.a person (often a relative) who voluntarily helps a minor or incompetent in legal matters, particularly by filing a lawsuit. However, this informal practice has been supplanted in almost all states by petitions for appointment of a guardian ad litem at the time the lawsuit is filed.
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
