expressly

Definition

The adverb lawyers use when they want to emphasize that something is explicitly and unambiguously stated, leaving zero room for creative interpretation. It's the legal equivalent of writing something in all caps with three exclamation marks. If a contract doesn't say something expressly, clever lawyers will find seventeen ways to argue what it might have meant instead.

Example Usage

The agreement expressly prohibited any disclosure of confidential information to third parties without written consent.

Source: Legal drafting terminology

Related Terms

Advanced

Recusal

When a judge removes themselves from a case because they have a conflict of interest, like the defendant is their cousin or the plaintiff once cut them off in traffic. The legal version of saying "I should probably sit this one out."

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

duty

A moral or legal obligation to act (or not act) in a certain way, plus the taxes governments slap on imports and exports. In corporate settings, it's being 'on duty' or responsible for tasks. The term encompasses everything from your fiduciary duty to shareholders to the customs duty on that suspiciously cheap designer handbag.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

demurrer

A pleading asserting that even if all facts alleged are true, they don't constitute a valid legal claim. It's the legal equivalent of 'so what?'—conceding facts while denying their legal significance.

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Intermediate

impediment

The legal or logistical obstacle standing between you and what you want to accomplish, whether it's a speech disability or bureaucratic red tape. In employment law, it often refers to barriers that prevent someone from performing job functions. It's the formal way of saying 'this thing is making everything harder,' commonly used when someone wants to sound more sophisticated than 'problem.'

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

judgment notwithstanding the verdict

A judge's decision to overrule a jury's verdict when no reasonable jury could have reached that conclusion. It's the judicial equivalent of 'I know what you said, but you're wrong,' and it's as rare as it sounds.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

Force Majeure

A fancy French legal term for "an act of God got us out of this contract," covering everything from earthquakes to pandemics to that one time a ship got stuck in a canal. The ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for corporations.

⚖️ Legal

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