Contracting and engineering projects can be more manageable when you have a sustainable, experienced approach to building and professional services. Legal documents like contracts, agreements, and judgment orders are a vital part of any project’s success. The legal definition of infant plays an important role in legal processes around contracting and engineering projects.

What Is the Legal Definition of Infant? Contracts are formed on the basis of agreement, consideration, and capacity to enter into an agreement. Capacity to enter into an agreement involves a legal rethink of whether the parties entering into the agreement are capable of managing the agreement. In other words, the parties must be of sound mind, body, and spirit. The legal definition of infant states that anyone who is below the age of 18 years old is legally considered an infant. Therefore, infants do not have the legal capacity to enter into an agreement and commit to a contract. For example, a contract entered into with an infant is void. Legally, the contract is treated as nonexistent. If any agreement has been made between the parties, the superior court can step in and reject the agreement if it believes that it is not in the best interest of the infant.

Why Is the Legal Definition of Infant Important for Contract Managers and Engineers? The legal definition can affect any contract, agreement, or judgment order and its broad application makes it useful in engineering and construction. In summary, the legal definition of infant states that any agreement that includes or involves an infant is void and may be overturned by the court. As an example, if a contractor has entered into a contractual agreement with an engineering company to deliver welding work and the approaching age of the contract manager is 25 years old, any agreement that has been entered into by the contractor or contract manager may be null and void. The contract cannot exist because the individual who signed it was only 17 at the time of signing. As a result, the contract with the contractor may be premature. How can a contract manager ensure that the legal capacity of any person involved in a contract is enough to allow them to sign the contract? By ensuring that the legal definition of infant is appropriately recognized by the project manager. An individual who is underage and under 18 years may sign a contract, but their signature on the contract will be void and any agreement made with the underage individual is void.

How Can the Legal Definition of Infant Affect Contracting and Engineering Projects? Contract Managers should understand the limitations of the legal definition of infant to make the best decisions in relation to the management and delivery of construction, engineering, and contracting projects. Managers should ensure that any contract has been signed by a person who is of legal age to manage the agreement. If the manager is yet to turn 18 or they think that there are other individuals who have the legal definition of infant, the manager should ensure that the project can avoid contractual impediments. A simple solution may involve reassigning contracts to individuals who have already reached 18 or redirecting the project until the contract manager has reached the right age. It is important to note that although the contract is void, the project manager could be sued with a tort claim by any party who was involved in the agreement. In other words, just because the contract manager may not have been able to deliver the agreement, it does not mean that there are no consequences for their actions. The legal definition of infant can help project managers through the establishment of efficient contracts between contracting organizations and engineering organizations. If the legal definition of infant is well understood, the legal capacity of the contracting manager can help to ensure that there are no consequences for the agreement.

For more information on legal definitions and their implications, you can visit Wikipedia.