universal agent
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A person granted complete authority to conduct any and all business matters on behalf of another person (the principal): A universal agent is a legal representative whose power is extremely broad, allowing them to perform virtually any act that the principal could perform personally. This relationship is often based on a high degree of trust, such as that found in a power of attorney.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Before his overseas deployment, he appointed his brother as a universal agent to manage all his financial and legal affairs.
- The court recognized her as a universal agent for her incapacitated father, giving her the authority to make comprehensive decisions on his behalf.
Advanced Usage
- Legal Context: The term is primarily used in legal and business contexts to describe an agency relationship with unlimited scope. The authority is typically granted by a formal document like a general power of attorney.
- The universal agent's authority, detailed in the power of attorney, included the power to buy, sell, and manage all property.
Variants and Related Words
- General agent (n): An agent authorized to conduct a series of transactions involving continuity of service. (Note: A general agent's authority is typically broader than a special agent's but may not be as all-encompassing as a universal agent's).
- Special agent (n): An agent authorized to conduct a single transaction or a specific, limited set of tasks.
- Attorney-in-fact (n): A person designated to act on another's behalf through a power of attorney; a universal agent is a type of attorney-in-fact with very broad powers.
Synonyms
- General attorney (archaic)
- Plenipotentiary (in specific diplomatic contexts, though this implies official governmental authority)
Related Phrases
- Power of attorney: The legal document that grants authority to an agent. A universal agent often operates under a or power of attorney.
- She acted under a power of attorney that made her a universal agent.
Noun
- someone authorized to transact every kind of business for the principal