Non-existence as a new institution of Czech law

1 Non-existence as a new institution of Czech law Abstract: This thesis deals with non-existence, an institution that has been introduced with the Civil Code 89/2012 Coll. as another consequence of defective legal acts in addition to invalidity. The aim of this thesis is to provide an analysis of the institution of non- existence in a broader context. The thesis is divided into seven chapters, including the introduction and the conclusion. For the purposes of a comprehensive interpretation, a general introduction of legal acts and their associated institutes will also be given. The first three chapters contain an analysis of legal facts and, in particular, legal acts. First, the notion or concept of legal fact is defined (including its historical development), followed by the definition of legal act as well as the conceptual changes to this notion. Subsequently, the conceptual features of a legal act (the will and its expression, the focus on producing legal consequences, and the recognition of the manifestation of will as a legal act) and the essential elements of a legal act (the elements of the subject, the elements of the will, the elements of the expression of will, and the elements of the object of the legal act) are discussed. The interpretation of the conceptual features and essential elements of a..