Legal Definitions - propior sobrino

In civil law, a propior sobrino refers to a specific familial relationship: the son of one's great-uncle or great-aunt. This relationship can stem from either the paternal (father's side) or maternal (mother's side) lineage.

Here are some examples to illustrate this term:

• Estate Planning: Imagine a person, let's call her Eleanor, is creating a will. She has no children or siblings, and her parents have passed away. She wants to ensure her assets go to a close relative. Her great-uncle, Robert (her grandmother's brother), has a son named Mark. In this scenario, Mark is Eleanor's propior sobrino. If Eleanor's will specified a distribution to her "propior sobrino," Mark would be the intended beneficiary.

• Family Lineage Research: Consider a genealogist, David, who is mapping out his extensive family tree. He identifies his great-aunt Susan (his mother's aunt) and notes that she had a son named Paul. For David, Paul is his propior sobrino. This term helps precisely define the relationship between David and Paul within the broader family structure, especially in legal contexts where degrees of kinship are important.

• Trust Beneficiary Designation: A family establishes a trust fund with specific rules for who can receive distributions. The trust document states that if primary beneficiaries are unavailable, funds may pass to a "propior sobrino." If Sarah's paternal grandfather's sister (who is Sarah's great-aunt) had a son named Thomas, then Thomas would be considered Sarah's propior sobrino and could potentially qualify as a beneficiary under the trust's terms.