pursuant

Definition

Legal jargon's favorite pretentious way of saying 'according to' or 'in compliance with,' typically preceding a citation that nobody will actually read. Lawyers sprinkle this throughout contracts and memos to sound impressively formal while basically just pointing at rules they're following. If you see this word, brace yourself for a reference to some statute, regulation, or policy that's about to justify whatever bureaucratic nonsense comes next.

Example Usage

Pursuant to Section 4.2(b) of the employee handbook, you are required to attend the mandatory fun team-building exercise.

Source: Common legal terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

Retainer

A large sum of money you pay a lawyer upfront for the privilege of having them answer your phone calls, kind of like a subscription service for legal advice except Netflix never charged $500 an hour for buffering. Your lawyer's version of a security deposit.

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Intermediate

equitable relief

A court remedy that doesn't involve money damages, such as injunctions, specific performance, or rescission. It's what you seek when throwing money at the problem won't fix it, and you need the court to actually make someone do (or stop doing) something.

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Due Process

The constitutional guarantee that the government cannot take away your life, liberty, or property without following proper procedures — which, given how slowly the legal system moves, means they will get around to it eventually.

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legislative

Anything relating to the branch of government responsible for making laws, or having the power to create legislation. When politicians campaign on their "legislative agenda," they're promising laws they want to pass. It's how democracies theoretically turn the will of the people into binding rules, emphasis on theoretically.

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Intermediate

summary judgment

A judge's decision to resolve a case without going to trial because there are no genuine disputes about the material facts. It's the legal equivalent of calling a game due to rain when one team is up 50-0.

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Beginner

burden of proof

The obligation to prove your case, usually resting on the party making the accusation. It's why prosecutors have to actually demonstrate guilt rather than defendants having to prove innocence—though it doesn't always feel that way in the courtroom.

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Wfau

Who f**king asked you...