Legal Definitions - prospective

The term prospective refers to something that relates to the future. This can mean either that something will take effect or become operative at a future point in time, or that it is anticipated, expected, or likely to occur.

• Imagine a city council passes a new law requiring all new commercial buildings to include solar panels. The law states it will have prospective application, meaning it will only apply to building permits submitted after the law's effective date. It will not affect buildings that have already been approved or are currently under construction.

  This example illustrates prospective in the sense of something taking effect in the future. The new requirement applies only to future actions (new permit applications), not to past or ongoing ones.

• A real estate agent might refer to a couple attending an open house as prospective buyers for a property. The agent sees them as individuals who are potentially interested and might make an offer in the future, even though they haven't committed to anything yet.

  Here, prospective describes something that is anticipated or expected. The couple is not yet a buyer, but they are a potential or likely buyer in the future.

• A company's human resources department might conduct interviews with several prospective employees for an open management position. These individuals are being considered for the role and could potentially be hired in the future, but they are not yet part of the company's staff.

  In this context, prospective highlights that these individuals are potential or expected future employees, indicating an anticipation of their future role within the company.