The Concept of Legal Capacity in Private Law and Constitutional Law

Legal capacity, i.e. being the holder of rights, is an essential legal term, but it does not necessarily mean the same in all areas of law. The article focuses on the concept and regulation of legal capacity in private law and the area of fundamental rights. These two areas deserve attention because their concepts of legal capacity seem to be closely connected even though they have different purposes in the legal system. The article discusses these connections and controversies from two complementary aspects. On a historical and comparative basis, the authors describe how the concept of legal capacity is rooted and evolved in private law and how other areas of law relate to that. Then, from a doctrinal perspective, they point out that the area of fundamental rights often relies on private law doctrines, however, it needs its own concept of legal capacity. The paper concludes with a model to interpret and assess the multifaceted relationship between legal capacity-related norms of the two areas of law.