mandants

Mandants (singular: mandant) is a term used in civil-law contexts to denote a person or organization that grants a mandate to another party to act on its behalf. The mandant is the principal in an agency relationship, while the person who accepts the mandate is the mandatary or agent. The contract that formalizes this relationship is called a mandate (Mandat).

In a mandate relationship, the mandant typically has the authority to instruct the mandatary and to define the scope of representation. The mandatary is obliged to carry out the assigned tasks faithfully, maintain confidentiality, avoid conflicts of interest, and account for actions taken on behalf of the mandant. The mandant usually must compensate the mandatary as agreed and may revoke the mandate under its terms. In most civil-law systems, acts performed by the mandatary within the authorized scope bind the mandant; actions outside that scope may not be binding unless ratified by the mandant.

Usage and variants: In German-speaking jurisdictions, Mandant is commonly used to mean client or principal, especially in legal representation or consultancy; the agent is called Mandatar or Beauftragter. In English-language contexts, mandant is rare and is usually translated as “principal” or “client,” depending on the context.

Examples: A company appoints a lawyer as its mandatary to file lawsuits, or a private person hires an attorney to handle a civil matter. In corporate governance, a board may designate a mandatary to negotiate contracts on behalf of the company.

Etymology: The term derives from the French mandant, from Latin mandare, “to command or entrust.”