unwirksamen

Unwirksamen is a form of the German adjective unwirksam, meaning not having legal effect or not producing the intended result. In legal language it is used to describe acts, declarations, contracts or measures that do not obtain binding or operative force.

Linguistically, unwirksam is an attributive adjective, and the ending -en appears in the form unwirksamen in many declined contexts. For example: eines unwirksamen Vertrags (genitive singular, masculine/neuter), mit dem unwirksamen Vertrag (dative singular), die unwirksamen Verträge (nominative plural). The exact form depends on case, gender and determiner.

Context and usage: The concept is common in civil law and administrative law. A contract may be unwirksam if essential elements are missing, if it was formed under coercion or illegality, or if it fails to meet legal requirements, thereby not creating enforceable obligations. An administrative decision or provision can be unwirksam if it lacks the necessary legal basis or proper procedure, rendering it ineffective despite formal validity.

Relation to other terms: Unwirksam differs from nichtig, which denotes nullity from the outset ( void ab initio), and from ungültig, which indicates invalidity for various reasons. A clause or act can be unwirksam without being declared void in all cases, depending on jurisdiction and context.

See also: Unwirksamkeit, Nichtigkeit, Ungültigkeit.