Lawyers frequently use phrasal verbs as part of their day to day work. Here are ten of the most common.
Account to means to make a payment to someone together with a breakdown of the amount and how it is calculated. For example, the lawyer accounted to his client for damages received.
Enter into means (1) to begin or start a formal agreement; or (2) to start to deal with something. For example, the company entered into negotiations with its supplier to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
Factor in, means to include or take account of something when calculating or planning something. For example, «the company needs to factor its legal costs when preparing its end of year accounts.
Find in favour of/Against is often used to describe a judicial decision. For example; the judge found against the Defendant or the judge found in favour of the Claimant
Hand Down: means (1) In an inheritance situation to give or leave something to someone else. Eg the property was handed down to me by my parents. (2) To announce an official decision; e.g. the court handed down its judgment.
Pass off: means to pretend that something or someone is different from what they are, for example, «the company tried to pass off conterfeit products as the real thing’. ‘Passing off’ is also a specific tort in common law countries, which for example prohibits companies from giving the impression that their goods or services are associated with another.
Rule in favour of/against as with find in favour of/against is often used to describe a judicial decision. For example; the judge ruled against the Defendant or the judge ruled in favour of the Claimant
Strike Out means (1) the removal by a judge of a case before the court. For example, ‘the judge struck out the case as it disclosed no reasonable grounds of success.
Sum Up to sum up means to give the main points of something in a few words. In legal english ‘the summing up’ is the speech made by a judge to the jury near the end of the trial.
Weigh up means to think carefully about the arguments before making a decision. For example, the jury weighed up the evidence carefully before handing down their verdict.
