First In Time First In Right

The legal principle 'First In Time First In Right' dictates that the party that acquires a right first is entitled to precedence over others who may have similar claims to that right. This doctrine is particularly significant in property law, where it governs the priority of competing claims.

This principle has roots in English common law and has been recognized since medieval times as a means to resolve disputes over competing claims to property. It embodies the notion of fairness in rights acquisition over time.

In modern law, this maxim is particularly applied in cases of property ownership, especially in scenarios involving land registration, secured transactions, and water rights. Courts often use this principle to determine priority among competing interests and to rule on cases of conflicting claims.

• In a dispute over the same parcel of land, the individual who first obtained deed registration for that land will generally have superior rights to the land against later claimants.
• When multiple lenders claim a security interest in the same collateral, the lender who filed their financing statement first typically prevails in a legal dispute.

• State Bank of New Mexico v. Otero
• McKeon v. DeFazio