Intuitu Personae Definition: Latin: Because of the person. Also spelled intuitus personae. A personal services contract, where the person of one of the contracting parties is an essential term of the contract. In CN v Norsk, Justice wrote: "Intuitus personae, i.e., a personal service contract where the particular individual cannot be replaced." Examples include contracts with musicians, singers, actors, specific lawyers and professional athletes. A power of attorney is another example of a legal document which is intuitu personae. The doctrine of a intuitus personae contract is well-known to the civil law. In the common law, contract law deals with the issue under the rubric of a personal services contract, without reference, generally, to the Latin maxim, and the non-availability of the remedy of specific performance in cases where the contract allegedly breached is one of personal services; i.e. intuitu personae. REFERENCES: Baudoin, J.-L. and Jobin, P.-G., Les Obligations, 5th Ed. (Montreal: Editions Yvon Blais, 1998), pages 79-80. CN v Norsk Pacific Steamship [1992] 1 SCR 1021 Duhaime, Lloyd, Contract Law Categories & Topics: Civil Law Dictionary Contract Law Dictionary Dictionary of Latin Law Terms Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!