Legal Definitions - penuria peritorum

penuria peritorum

This Latin term refers to a scarcity of skilled professionals or experts, particularly in a legal or specialized technical field, which makes it difficult to properly perform a task or address a complex issue.

• Example 1: Rural Legal Access

  Imagine a remote rural county where only one attorney practices, and their expertise is limited to criminal defense. Residents needing assistance with common civil matters like drafting a will, handling a property dispute, or navigating a divorce find it nearly impossible to locate a qualified legal professional within a reasonable distance. They might have to travel hours or go without legal advice.

  This situation illustrates penuria peritorum because there is a significant shortage of legal experts with the necessary skills to meet the diverse legal needs of the community.

• Example 2: Specialized Environmental Law

  A large corporation is facing a complex lawsuit involving highly technical environmental regulations related to a specific type of industrial waste disposal. They discover that only a handful of law firms nationwide have attorneys with both the deep scientific understanding of the waste material and the intricate knowledge of the relevant environmental statutes to effectively represent them.

  Here, penuria peritorum describes the scarcity of legal professionals possessing the very specific, interdisciplinary expertise required to handle such a specialized and technical legal challenge.

• Example 3: Emerging Technology Policy

  A government commission is tasked with developing new policies to regulate the ethical use of advanced artificial intelligence. They struggle to recruit commissioners and expert advisors who possess both a profound understanding of AI technology and extensive experience in legal and ethical policy-making, as such individuals are rare.

  This scenario demonstrates penuria peritorum because there is a lack of individuals with the combined technical and legal/policy expertise needed to effectively address a novel and complex societal issue.