Legal Definition and Related Resources of Ad Hoc

adjective

• extemporaneous
• for the sake of
• for this case alone
• improvised
• in consideration of
• on account of
• special
• Associated Concepts: ad hoc appointment
• ad hoc committee

Browse or run a search for Ad Hoc in the American Encyclopedia of Law, the Asian Encyclopedia of Law, the European Encyclopedia of Law, the UK Encyclopedia of Law or the Latin American and Spanish Encyclopedia of Law.

Ad Hoc in Historical Law

You might be interested in the historical meaning of this term. Browse or search for Ad Hoc in Historical Law in the Encyclopedia of Law.

Search for legal acronyms and/or abbreviations containing Ad Hoc in the Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms Dictionary.

Translate Ad Hoc from English to Spanish

Translation of Ad Hoc, with examples. More about free online translation into Spanish of Ad hoc, and other legal terms is available here.

• Ad hoc,
• Para esto
• Para este propósito en particular
• Para el caso
• Legal English Translation

What does Ad hoc mean in American Law?

The definition of Ad hoc in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

“For this” or “for this particular purpose,” e.g., “In the action touching on the child’s inheritance, the court appointed an ad hoc guardian and attorney,” i.e., persons appointed to serve in those roles for the particular litigation.

Pro hac vice is essentially identical in meaning, but is used almost exclusively to describe an attorney who is allowed to appear in a particular proceeding in a jurisdiction where he is not a member of the bar. The law reports will often say something like “Leon Silverman, Esq., appearing for the plaintiff pro hac vice, by special leave of the court.”

“Ad hoc,” however, has a more figurative and perhaps more important use, as a rough equivalent of “arbitrary” or “unprincipled.” To say of a judge or (more likely) an administrator that “he decides everything ad hoc,” is to accuse him of behavior not governed by, or predictable from, articulated rules. But it should be recalled that all decisions must be to some extent ad hoc, i.e., to some extent tailored to the particular situation under consideration. Cf. cadi jurisprudence.

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Vocabularies (Semantic Web Information)

Concept of Ad Hoc in the context of Real Property

A short definition of Ad Hoc: Latin meaning “for this”. For a single purpose only.

Concept of Ad Hoc in the context of Real Property

A short definition of Ad Hoc: Latin meaning “for this”. For a single purpose only.

Ad Hoc