Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An estate in land held under feudal tenure by a vassal from a lord in exchange for services or loyalty.
Sources & Authorities· 29 primary sources
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Cases
Statutes
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Lawyer Screens Confidential Data
Farid Farahani left government service with knowledge of a private citizen's sealed regulatory file. He later joined a firm asked to sue that citizen over the same facts. The firm accepted the matter only after screening Farid from all participation and notifying the agency.
Deed Creates Defeasible Estate
Francesca Fiore conveyed Blackacre to Fusion Power so long as the land remained a research campus, with title to revert automatically upon any other use. The grantee later opened a retail store on the parcel, triggering the limitation and returning the estate to Francesca.
Francois Fortier was named executor under a will that set his compensation at five percent of the estate. Before qualifying, he filed a written renunciation with the court and later received reasonable compensation based on hours actually worked.
Clerk Issues Marriage License
Floyd Franklin and Fatima Flores completed the marriage application, appeared before the clerk, paid the fee, and supplied proof of age and that no legal impediment existed. The clerk then issued the license and certificate form.
Nonlawyer Cannot Charge Contingent Fee
Fiona Foster, a licensed adjuster, negotiated a settlement for Fidelity Trust and charged a percentage of the recovery. The court refused to enforce the fee contract because the work constituted the practice of law reserved to attorneys.
Contingent Fee Agreement Signed
Falcon Dynamics retained Franklin Foundry on a one-third contingent fee for a contract dispute. The written agreement stated the percentage, that expenses would be deducted after the fee, and that the client remained liable for costs even if no recovery occurred.
Common questions
Frequently Asked
3
What does fief mean in modern property law?+
It is the feudal predecessor of the fee simple estate, an interest of potentially infinite duration held by a tenant in exchange for services to the lord.
How does a fief differ from a fee simple defeasible?+
A classic fief carried feudal incidents of tenure. A fee simple defeasible is a present-day estate subject to special limitation, condition subsequent, or executory limitation that may cut it short.
Can the holder of a fief freely alienate the land?+
Under feudal rules alienation required the lord's consent. Modern fee simple absolute, the successor interest, is freely alienable without such consent.
576 U.S. 644 (2015)Legislation and Regulation
…S. L. J. , the Court invalidated under due process and equal protection principles a statute requiring indigent mothers to pay a fee in order to appeal the termination of their parental rights. See 519 U.S., at 119–124. In Eisenstadt v. Baird , the Court invoked both principles to invalidate a prohibition on the…