Legal Definitions - responsa prudentium

Definition: Responsa prudentium (ri-spon-sə proo-den-shee-əm) is a Latin term that means "the answers of the learned." It refers to the opinions and judgments of eminent lawyers or jurists on questions of law addressed to them.

In ancient Rome, citizens seeking legal advice, as well as magistrates and judges, often referred legal questions to leading jurists so as to obtain their opinions (responsa). The responsa of some leading jurists were collected, much in the manner of caselaw digests, and many of them passed into Justinian's Digest.

Today, the phrase responsa prudentium is of primarily historical use. It migrated to the common law, but it is not commonly used anymore.

Example: A judge in ancient Rome might have no technical knowledge of law. Under such conditions, the unlearned judicial magistrates naturally looked for light and leading to the jurisconsults who instructed them through their responsa prudentium, the technical name given to their opinions as experts, which were promptly recorded on tablets by their students or disciples.

Explanation: The example illustrates how responsa prudentium was used in ancient Rome. It shows that the opinions of eminent lawyers or jurists were highly valued and sought after by those who lacked legal knowledge. The responsa prudentium were recorded and used as a source of legal guidance for judges and magistrates.