Simple English definitions for legal terms
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HERES: A heres is a person who becomes the successor to the rights and debts of a deceased person, like an heir. In ancient Rome, if someone died without a will, their heres would be their lawful heir. If they had a will, the heres would be the person named in the will to inherit their property. There were different types of heredes, like heres factus (appointed by will) and heres legitimus (entitled to inherit by law).
Definition: Heres (heer-eez) is a Latin term used in Roman law to refer to a person who succeeds to the rights and liabilities of a deceased person, i.e., an heir.
The heres was responsible for both the rights and debts of the decedent, which combined the roles of a modern executor and an heir at law. The institution of the heres was a crucial characteristic of a testament, and if this was not done, the instrument was called a codicillus.
Examples:
These examples illustrate how the term heres is used in Roman law to refer to different types of heirs, depending on how they inherit the deceased person's estate.