LIFE EVENTS

The age of majority refers to the age at which an individual will be legally considered an adult. It is the age at which one will be subject to the full legal rights and responsibilities of an adult, including the right to vote, the right to join the military or the right to sign a contract.

Agency law is a common law doctrine controlling relationships between agents and principals. A principal-agent relationship is created when the agent is given authority to act on behalf of the principal.

An agency shop is a place of employment in which full membership in a union is not required, but the union acts as an agent for the employees. Both union members and non-union members must pay periodic union dues and initiation fees whether they join or not since it is presumed that any collective bargaining on the part of the union will benefit b

• labor law

An agent is a person authorized to act on behalf of another person. The party an agent is authorized to act for is known as the principal. A principal-agent relationship can either be intentionally created or created by implication through one’s actions. 

For further information, see Agency Law. 

A party with multiple claims may wish to aggregate them to meet the jurisdictional amount (also known as amount in controversy) requirement for their desired court. The current amount in controversy requirement is $75,000. While this practice is generally not permitted, a few exceptions apply:

• civil procedure

Agriculture refers to the acts of farming and raising livestock. Activities that fall within agriculture include soil preparation, seed planting, crop harvesting, gardening, viticulture (growing grapes), apiculture (bee-raising), dairying, poultry, and ranching. Generally, laws grouped under the heading "agricultural law" relate to these activities as they are carried out in a commercial setting.

Alcohol is a set of chemical compounds consumed as a liquid by individuals for its intoxicating effect or used in industrial projects for its other unique properties. 

Absent any specific regulation, alcohol is treated like all other forms of personal property. However, the general rights of property are subject to the police power regulations of the state, local, and federal governments. 

“Aleatory” means that something is dependent on an uncertain event, a chance occurrence. Aleatory is used primarily as a descriptive term for insurance contracts. An aleatory contract is a contract where performance of the promise is dependent on the occurrence of a fortuitous event.

Alias derives from the term “alias dictus,” which means “otherwise called.” An alias is a pseudonym, nickname, or alternative name for an individual (alternative to their legal name). The expression “John Doe, alias” or “Jane Doe, alias” means an unknown person.  

[Last reviewed in February of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team]

The Alien Tort Statute ("ATS"), also known as the Alien Tort Claims Act, is a common name for 28 U.S.C. § 1350.