BENEFICIUM ORDINIS

beneficium ordinis (ben-<<schwa>>-fish-ee-<<schwa>>m or-d<<schwa>>-nis). [Latin “privilege of order”] Roman & Scots law. A surety’s right to require a creditor to seek payment from the principal debtor before seeking payment from the surety. See BENEFIT OF DISCUSSION.

“Beneficium Ordinis… by the civil law and our own, a cautioner, simply bound as such, is entitled to insist that the principal be first discussed by extreme diligence.” Hugh Barclay, A Digest of the Law of Scotland 76 (3d ed. 1865).[Blacks Law 8th]