Legal Definitions - irregular

When something is described as irregular in a legal context, it means it deviates from established rules, procedures, or accepted standards. It suggests that an action, document, or process does not conform to what is expected, required by law, or considered proper practice.

Here are some examples illustrating this term:

• Example 1: Corporate Financial Practices

  An internal audit at a corporation uncovers that several large payments were made to a vendor without the required multiple approvals from senior management, a clear violation of the company's financial policies.

  This situation would be considered irregular because the payments did not follow the established and mandatory internal method for authorizing expenditures, potentially raising concerns about financial controls and compliance.

• Example 2: Government Procurement Process

  A local government agency awards a significant construction contract to a company without first issuing a public request for proposals (RFP) or allowing other qualified businesses to bid, despite local ordinances requiring competitive bidding for contracts of that size.

  The contract award process is irregular because it did not adhere to the legally mandated procedure for public procurement, which is designed to ensure fairness and transparency.

• Example 3: Property Deed Description

  A newly filed property deed contains a description of the land that uses vague landmarks like "the large rock near the river" and "the old fence line," instead of precise measurements, coordinates, or lot numbers, which are standard and legally preferred methods for defining property boundaries.

  The property description is irregular because it does not conform to the accepted usage and legal standards for clearly and unambiguously identifying real estate, which could lead to future boundary disputes.