Questions tagged [legalese]
Questions about the strange language of legalese. Consider asking on law.stackexchange.com if your question focuses on the legal interpretation of some term or phrase.
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What is “prejudice”? [closed]
The definitions I see online just refer to harm as a result of a judgment or decision. But the way I see it used mainly seems to refer to non-substantive or procedural decisions. And something that is ...
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Is "Fair Witness" an adequate alternative term for "whistle blower" in academia?
It was suggested to me to use the term "fair witness" instead of "whistle blower" (when proposing to design a university course about such topic, and potentially an academic study ...
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Is the usage of the word 'entitled' appropriate in the following extract from a city council meeting?
Is the usage of the word 'entitled' appropriate in the following extract from a city council meeting?
An ordinance of the City Commission ... , relating to updating … Chapter 18 ... by: Amending ...
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What denotational or connotational differences distinguish ‘thence’ from ‘therefrom’? [closed]
Thence vs. Therefrom
When is it better to use each of these two words, thence and therefrom?
Are they completely identical, or do they differ in denotations or connotations? If so, how?
I’ve looked up ...
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What do we call the target of an appositive?
From Wikipedia (emphasis mine):
Apposition is a grammatical construction in which two elements, normally noun phrases, are placed side by side so one element identifies the other in a different way. ...
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"within five business days of month end" [duplicate]
Does "within five business days of month end" mean something that is done within 5 business days after the month has ended, or does it mean the last 5 business days of the month?
EDIT: In ...
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The history of “to see say” better known as “voir dire”
Fans of the American TV show, Law & Order, may be familiar with the procedure called voir dire, whereby lawyers interrogate would-be-members of the jury in order to select jurors who will be ...
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How to precisely phrase finding the next eligible person in by-laws
I am to formulate sections about successorship in by-laws. It's a bilingual document. The non-english version is crisp and clear, however, despite having decent knowledge of the English language it's ...
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Usage of "which + noun" clause after a noun [duplicate]
In my native language, we can follow a noun with a "which + noun" clause to provide more information about the said noun. For example, if we want to say that a certain man owns a "house&...
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"It is notified for general information that" usage
I've seen this phrase used in Government Gazettes of different countries. I have a feeling that it's a formal and old-fashioned expression used in legal writing, which is not in use anymore and never ...
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A term that captures translate and rotate
From this question, transform (or linear transform) was the consensus.
Say I have a broad phrase like:
Travel of the fluid urges a _____ of a partially-submerged bob.
Forgiving the lack of context, ...
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What is the meaning of the phrase 'for the purpose of' in legal context?
I've come across this phrase many times in contracts and other legal instruments of similar nature, and can't seem to understand what its actual meaning is. For example,
For the purpose of this ...
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Getting "poured out" in legal terminology
A common expression in Texas legal circles is,
We got poured out down at the courthouse.
The clear meaning is that their team lost a lawsuit. I’ve been unable to find a source, first use, nor an ...
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Word for when someone intentionally ignores someone's valid excuse from a punishment and then enforces that punishment anyway?
Is there a word (or legal term) for when someone (usually an authority figure) intentionally does not acknowledge a person's justification from an adverse action, then enforces that adverse action ...
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What is the proper number formatting for a legal document from the Supreme court? [closed]
Do federally-issued legal documents in the USA require numbers spelt out, or in number form?
I took a look at this site concerning Citation, Grammar and Style Guides from Loyola School of Law, but it ...
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Preferred abbreviations of 'versus' according to Anglophone country? [duplicate]
I am already aware that for example BE and AE have different opinions on using periods in abbreviations. Today, I am interested in variations among English speaking countries (specifically: UK, USA, ...
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Why use "can and may" both in a sentence?
I have seen a lot of questions about the difference between can and may and I am aware of them. In a legal(-ish) document (some policy) I have read a statement to the effect of a consequence can and ...
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Terms for aerial versus ground surface area
Are there accepted area terms that concisely distinguish aerial area (e.g., from a Google Earth satellite photo) from ground surface area? (For sloped ground, the ground surface area is larger than ...
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What is the word used when you are aware of a wrong doing or crime, after the event but do nothing about it [closed]
Looking for a crime or misdoing that has been done and you are aware but chose to do nothing about it. Say in court how would a lawyer explain this
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A peculiar use of "shall" in North Carolina's constitution, Art. VI
Article VI of North Carolina's constitution from 1971 contains a provision whose constitutionality is being discussed over at law SE.
Section 8 starts
Sec. 8. Disqualifications for office.
The ...
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What is a word for "services not provided" or "Goods paid for not delivered"?
What is a word for "services not provided" or "Goods paid for not delivered"?
For example: The "scam" is a word for a dishonest scheme. The word "fraud" is a ...
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Legalese: Place the preposition closer to the verb to make the text shorter?
In the dense legalese of a product license I found the following sentence:
The subscriber shall not disclose to, or permit the use of, the Licensed Rights by any third party.
I assume what is meant ...
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Meaning of 'Nothing herein shall require the Owner to disclose any of its information' in an agreement document?
What is the meaning of the sentence from an agreement document?
Nothing herein shall require the Owner to disclose any of its information.
The sentence previous to this sentence has some types of ...
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What does "the continuity of rights under French law" means?
A French student who wants to intern at our company gives us this document to sign, which includes this question:
SOCIAL SECURITY PROVIDED BY THE HOST ORGANIZATION (within the framework of internship ...
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Collocations for litigation [closed]
In the sentence:
The company's financing prospects worsened after entering litigation
with several of its business partners.
I found this to be a bit vague, and not placing the emphasis on the right ...
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Why the "wedded" in "wedded wife"?
Typical wedding vows, per e.g. this website, often have phrasing like this (emphasis mine):
[Groom’s name], do you take [Bride’s name] to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you ...
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Meaning of "against" [closed]
I have a question about the meaning of "against" in the following sentence:
"These communications should be in writing and delivered against receipt."
I don't understand why "...
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How did "bail" shift to signify "money deposited as a guarantee when released"?
I fail to understand this etymology for bail (n.1) after "captivity, custody" (late 14c.).
"bond money, security given to obtain the release of a prisoner," late 15c., a sense ...
user50720
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Why does one "Plead Guilty" rather than "Found Guilty" or "Proven Guilty"? [closed]
I am not sure if this is a Language Question or Legal Question, but in instances of news on court case it is always reported that a "Defendant Pleaded Guilty" but this does not clarify if ...
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What does it mean: A utility hookup or work order dated within 60 days before registration? [duplicate]
Does it mean any day in a timeframe of 60 days max to the action, in other words: it could be 1 day or 59 days before?
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"Plaintiff" without an article
Garner's fourth edition reads we accord to plaintiff his due.
Why is this nominal indirect object used without any article at all?
OED: http://oed.com/oed2/00180661
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Indication of intent behind litter
In maritime contexts there is a specific difference between flotsam and jetsam i.e. both are drifting materials that have come from a ship but flotsam has been washed overboard while jetsam has been ...
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What's a "completion of comprise"?
I scanned this because I don't know how to format 2 columns here, or add color. I Googled "completion of comprise" and found just 4 results, and 2 were from this book.
Stacie Strong. BA ...
user50720
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Why does "damages" mean "the sum of money claimed or adjudged to be paid in compensation for loss or injury sustained"?
Why did English lawyers pick "damages"? Why not recompense, reparation, requital, or even Latinate terms like "expiation" or "solatium"? These are clearer because you ...
user50720
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What is the word denoting the crime of taking advantage of person under one's authority, sexual or otherwise?
It's a common legal term that has just slipped my mind, and I can't seem to find a reference for it.
Thank you.
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On official forms, does the present perfect imply that the situation is ongoing or has not yet concluded?
I have a question specifically about present perfect usage in legal and “bureaucratic” writing. On official forms (for example, application forms from US government agencies or IRS forms), I sometimes ...
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What's the difference between "subject to" and "subjected to" in contracts? [duplicate]
Applicants are subject to testing ...
Applicants are subjected to testing ...
When employers use "subject to" or "subjected to" in this way, does "subject to" imply they ...
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Can "would" be used in a conditional like this?
I know there's a multitude of similar questions, but I just can't find one that clearly applies to my problem. The sentence I'm struggling with deals with an obligation and sounds similar to this.
...
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Meaning of an And Phrase followed by an Or Phrase [closed]
A sentence begins like "If A and B or C then ..." does that mean that A must always be true and one of B or C must be true for the following to happen? Or can just C be true? In ...
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What does the sentence in a legal document mean, i have tried my best to understand, but I am unable
Hereinafter called the "FIRST PARTY/ DEVELOPER" (which expression unless there be anything inconsistent therewith in the context shall
mean and include his legal representatives, executors ...
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Is there a word/phrase for doing something good to hide something bad you did for the same cause?
For instance a defendant in a court case where he is accused of domestic violence might tell the jury that he donated money to domestic abuse charities and helped sufferers, so it would seem unlikely ...
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Isn't "authorized designee" redundant?
I write and revise policy at work, and I often see the phrase "authorized designee," as in "The Chief Executive Officer or the authorized designee is responsible for ensuring . . ."...
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Is "in obeyance" a typo in reportage of recent Supreme court proceedings? [closed]
The term "in obeyance" seemed strange in the story reported via online outlets.
Was this mis-reported, or did they mean "in abeyance", or is this an example of American English ...
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Is the second "there" a typo in "that there was there insufficient evidence"?
A lawyer has filed a court document listing issues to be determined in an upcoming trial. He has phrased one issue as follows:
Did Judge <X> err in not accepting the "new evidence" ...
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Inflict an injury on someone [closed]
AGGRIEVE: to inflict an actionable injury on somebody
Microsoft® Encarta® 2009
What does inflict an injury mean in this definition?
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Why are compulsory law associations called an "integrated" bar?
Why are compulsory law associations called an "integrated" bar?
I have two guesses:
It has something to do with the fact that the power to mandate membership (which brings dues and a code ...
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Grammatical? omission-cum, action-sans
I came across this on Quora, but no answer there. I know cum in this sense is "combined" or "with" (from the Latin for "with"). sans is French word for ‘without’ in ...
user50720
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Term for"getting out of a business deal"
Is there a legal/business term for "getting out of a [business] deal"?
The context is say somebody has done everything he/she was supposed to do, and handed over all his/her responsibilities ...
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Meaning and Usage of "comma" and "claimed"
Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the State Commission shall have jurisdiction—
(a) to entertain—
(i) complaints where the value of the goods or services and compensation, if any, claimed
...
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Does the term "criminal" imply conviction?
Note: I am writing this in England. Assume the legalese to have a British bias.
Does the term "Criminal" (def: 'a person who has committed a crime') imply that this person has been convicted of a ...
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