Phrasal Verbs Used in Legal English

 

Abide bymeans to accept a decision, a law or an agreement and obey it. For example,

„the parties must abide by the terms of the agreement.

 

Accede tomeans to agree to or allow something that someone has asked for, after you have opposed it for a while. For example, „the company eventually acceded to repeated requests for a price reduction.

 

Account formeans: (1) to explain how or why something happened. For example,

„how do you account for the fact that the goods were delivered late? (2) To be a particular part of something. For example, „computer sales account for 50% of the companys profits. (3) To keep a record of how the money in your care will be spent or has been spent. For example, „every cent in the fund has been accounted for. (4) To consider particular facts or circumstances when you are making a decision about something. For example, „the costs of possible litigation were accounted for when calculating the amount of money to be set aside.

 

Account tomeans to make a payment to someone together with an itemised breakdown showing how the payment is calculated. For example, „the lawyer accounted to her client in respect of the damages received as a result of the litigation.

 

Adhere tomeans to act in the way that a particular law, rule, agreement or set of instructions says that you should. For example, „the parties have adhered strictly to the terms of the agreement.

 

Amount tomeans: (1) to add up to something or result in a final total of something. For example, „the overall costs amounted to well over €50,000. (2) To be equal to or the same as something. For example, „what they did amounted to a breach of contract.

 

Appertain to(or „pertain to) means to belong to something or be connected with something. For example, „the duties appertaining to this position.

 

Break downmeans: (1) to separate into different parts to make something easier to discuss, analyse or deal with. For example, „the figures break down as follows… (2) To fail. For example, „negotiations between the parties have broken down.

 

Break offmeans: (1) to stop speaking or to stop doing something before you have finished. For example, „we had to break off the meeting. (2) To separate something from something else using force, or for something to become separated in this way. For example, „the handle of the cup just broke off.

 

Break upmeans: (1) the splitting up of a company or an organisation into smaller parts. For example, „the company was broken up into smaller concerns. (2) The splitting up of a group of people. For example, „the conference broke up into discussion groups.

 

Call inmeans: (1) to request the return of something. For example, „the bank has decided to call in the loan. (2) To visit a place or person for a short time. For example, „he called in at the office before going to court this morning. (3) To

 

telephone your office. For example, „do you mind if I use your phone? I just want to call in and tell my assistant Im running late.

 

Carry onmeans to continue something. For example, „the company carries on business as a garden furniture retailer.

 

Carry outmeans to do something that you said you would do or that you have been asked to do. For example, „the lawyer carried out his clients instructions carefully.

 

Change overmeans to stop using one system or thing and start using another. For example, „The Greeks have changed over to the euro.

 

Consist inmeans to have something as its main or only feature. For example, „the strength of this firm consists in its experienced litigation department.

 

Consist ofmeans to be formed from the people or things mentioned. For example,

„the team consists of a number of specialists in different areas.

 

Cover upmeans to try hard to stop people finding out about a mistake, a crime or the true state of affairs. For example, „the company attempted to cover up its trading losses by falsifying its accounts.

 

Deal inmeans to do business, to make money by buying and selling a particular product or kind of goods. For example, „the company deals in computer hardware.

 

Deal withmeans: (1) to do business regularly with a person or organisation. For example, „we only deal with reputable suppliers. (2) To talk to a person or organisation in order to reach an agreement or settle a dispute. For example, „I like to deal with people I know I can trust. (3) To solve a problem or carry out a task. For example, „my lawyers dealt with the company sale very efficiently. (3) To be about something. For example, „this article deals with the issues raised by contractual waivers. (4) To look after, talk to or control people in an appropriate way. For example, „we sometimes have to deal with very difficult people in this job. (5) To take appropriate action in a particular situation. For example, „could you deal with this complaint?

 

Depart frommeans to behave in a way that is different from what is usual or expected. For example, „we have departed from usual practice due to the exceptional circumstances of the case.

 

Dispose ofmeans: (1) to get rid of or sell something that is not required. For example,

„the company disposed of many of its assets. (2) To successfully deal with or finish with a problem. For example, „there remains only the question of funding to dispose of.

 

Draw upmeans: (1) to make or write something that needs careful planning. For example, „my lawyers will draw up the contract. (2) To bring something nearer to something else. For example, „she drew up another chair in order to participate more easily in the discussion. (3) To come to a stop. For example, „the car drew up outside the office.

 

Draw upon/onmeans to use something that you have or that is available to help you do something. For example, „the company will draw upon its reserves of capital to finance the deal.

 

Engage inmeans to be involved in something, to take part in something or to be busy doing something. For example, „this company is engaged in the manufacture of steel tubes.

 

Enlarge on/uponmeans to say or write more about something you have mentioned. For example, „Would you care to enlarge on that point?

 

Enter intomeans: (1) to begin or become involved in a formal agreement. For example, „the parties entered into an agreement relating to a share sale. (2) To begin to discuss or deal with something. For example, „the company agreed to enter into negotiations.

 

Entitle tomeans to give a right to have or do something. For example, „the parties are entitled to assign the benefit of the agreement on giving notice in writing.

 

Factor inmeans to include a particular fact or situation when you are calculating something or thinking about or planning something. For example, „you must factor in labour costs when calculating the cost of the repairs.

 

File awaymeans to put papers, documents etc away in a place where you can find them easily. For example, „I filed the papers away in the drawer.

 

Gear tomeans to make or change something so that it is suitable for a particular need or an appropriate level or standard. For example, „it is vital that we gear our service to our clients needs.

 

Gear upmeans to be prepared, ready and able to do something or to become or make ready and able to do something. For example, „the firm must gear itself up to be able to cope with these large corporate transactions.

 

Hand downmeans: (1) to give or leave something to a younger person or to pass from one generation to another as an inheritance. For example, „this house has been handed down from generation to generation. (2) To announce an official decision (particularly of a court of law). For example, „the judge handed down a sentence.

 

Hand overmeans: (1) to give somebody else your position of power or authority or to give somebody else the responsibility for dealing with a particular situation. For example, „he handed over the position to his deputy when he retired. (2) To give someone else a turn to speak when you have finished talking. For example, „Id like to hand over now to our guest speaker.

 

Limit tomeans to make something exist or happen only in a particular place, within a particular group or for a particular purpose. For example, „limited to industrial use.

 

Object tomeans to say that you disagree with, disapprove of or oppose something. For example, „we object to further changes being made to the agreement.

 

Opt formeans to choose something or make a decision about something. For example, „many clients now opt for this service.

 

Opt inmeans to choose to take part in something. For example, „all staff members have the chance to opt in to a pension plan offered by the company.

 

Opt outmeans to choose not to take part in something. For example, „very few staff members have opted out of the company pension plan.

 

Pass offmeans: (1) to pretend that something or somebody is something that they are not. For example, „the company tried to pass off their copied product as the real thing. (2) If an event passes off in a particular way, it takes place and is finished in that way. For example, „the meeting passed off without any trouble.

 

Pass upmeans to decide not to take advantage of an opportunity, offer etc. For example, „the company passed up the opportunity to submit a tender for the project.

 

Pencil inmeans to write someones name for an appointment, or the details of an arrangement, although you know that this might have to be changed later. For example, „Ive pencilled in the fifth of June for the meeting.

 

Point outmeans: (1) to show somebody which person or thing you are referring to. For example, „Ill point out the court building when we arrive. (2) To mention something in order to give somebody information about it or make them notice it. For example, „I pointed out one or two typing errors in the document.

 

Press formeans to make repeated and urgent requests for something. For example,

„lets press for a final agreement today.

 

Press onmeans to continue moving forward quickly or to continue to do a task in a determined way. For example, „the company pressed on with its plans to expand into new markets.

 

Proceed againstmeans to start a court case against somebody. For example, „my client is entitled to proceed against the manufacturer and the retailer.

 

Proceed frommeans to be caused by or be the result of something. For example, „the dispute proceeded from a misunderstanding between the parties.

 

Provide againstmeans to make plans in order to deal with or prevent a bad or unpleasant situation. For example, „the insurance policy provides against loss of income.

 

Provide formeans: (1) to make plans or arrangements to deal with something that may happen in the future. For example, „the contract provides for assignment under certain circumstances. (2) To give somebody the things that they need to live. For example, „the family has three children to provide for.

 

Put acrossmeans to communicate your ideas, feeling etc to somebody clearly and successfully. For example, „he put across his thoughts clearly and forcefully to the audience.

 

Put backmeans: (1) to return something to its usual place. For example, „he put the papers back in the file. (2) To move something to a later time or date. For example,

„the meeting has been put back to 11 July. (3) To cause something to be delayed. For example, „the strike has put back our deliveries by a fortnight.

 

Put downmeans: (1) to pay part of the cost of something. For example, „I had to put down a deposit on the purchase of the property. (2) To criticise somebody and make them feel stupid, especially in front of other people. For example, „shes always putting other people down. (3) To place something on the floor or on a surface. For example, „put your paper down a minute and come and give me a hand with this. (4) To write something down or make notes about something. For example, „Ive put down a few ideas which we can discuss during our meeting. (5) To kill an animal because it is old or sick. For example, „we had to have the horse put down because it was badly injured in an accident.

 

Put forwardmeans: (1) to suggest an idea or plan so that it can be discussed. For example, „an idea put forward during the meeting. (2) To suggest somebody as a candidate for a job or position. For example, „three people put themselves forward as candidates. (3) To move something to an earlier time or date. For example, „the meetings been put forward a few hours.

 

Put inmeans: (1) to contribute money to something or pay money into a bank. For example, „he put in €20,000 of his own money into the business. (2) To contribute time or effort to something. For example, „she put in a lot of hours on that case. (3) To make an official request or claim. For example, „Ive put in a request for a pay rise. (4) To include something in a letter or document. For example, „you should put in a paragraph explaining the indemnity provisions to the client.

 

Put offmeans to cancel or delay something. For example, „well have to put off discussion of that issue until our next meeting.

 

Reckon onmeans to rely on something happening. For example, „we reckon on making a profit of €200,000.

 

Reckon upmeans to add figures or numbers together. For example, „the total comes to €200 if Ive reckoned it up correctly.

 

Refer tomeans: (1) to mention or talk about somebody or something. For example,

„please refer to paragraph 7. (2) To describe or be connected to something. For example, „paragraph 7 refers to the question of indemnities. (3) To look at something for information. For example, „Ill refer to the textbook to see if paragraph 7 will be valid. (4) To send somebody or something to a different place or person to get help, advice or a decision. For example, „the case was referred to arbitration.

 

Report to: if you report to someone in a company or organisation, that person is responsible for your work and tells you what to do. For example, „I report directly to the senior partner of the firm.

 

Resort tomeans to make use of something, especially something bad or unpleasant, as a way of achieving something, often because no other course of action is possible. For example, „he resorted to threats in order to obtain their agreement.

 

Rest onmeans: (1) to depend on something. For example, „our chances of winning this contract depend solely on price. (2) To be based on something. For example, „her argument seemed to rest on an incorrect assumption.

 

Rest withmeans to be someones responsibility. For example, „the final decision rests with the client.

 

Result inmeans to have a particular effect. For example, „the presentation of the new evidence resulted in us winning the case.

 

Revert tomeans: (1) (of land or property) to return legally to the owner. For example,

„after his death the house reverted to the original owner. (2) To go back to a previous condition or activity. For example, „we reverted to our old methods. (3) To start talking or thinking again about a subject being considered earlier. For example, „to revert to the question of delivery of the goods.

 

Rough outmeans to draw or write the main parts of something without including all the details. For example, „Ive roughed out the basis of the deal on the back of an envelope.

 

Rule in: if somebody rules something in, they decide that it is possible or that it can or should happen or be included. For example, „the judge ruled in the disputed evidence.

 

Rule out: (1) if somebody rules somebody out, this means that they decide it is not possible for that person to do something or to have done something. For example, „I think we can rule out Linden as a possible candidate. (2) If somebody rules something out, this means that it is not possible or that it cannot or should not happen. For example, „I think we can rule out trying to set up an office in Shanghai at this stage.

 

Serve upon/onmeans to give or send somebody an official document, especially one that orders them to appear at court. For example, „the court served a summons upon the company.

 

Set downmeans: (1) to place an object down on a surface. For example, „he set the tray down on the table. (2) To write something down on paper in order to record it. For example, „I have set down my thoughts on this question in the paper you have in front of you. (3) To give something as a rule or guideline. For example, „this firm must set down clear guidelines about what procedures to follow if a client makes a complaint.

 

Set forthmeans to state something clearly or make something known. For example,

„the position is set forth in paragraph 7 of the contract.

 

Set upmeans: (1) to make something ready for use. For example, „we set up the conference room before the meeting. (2) To provide someone with the money they need to start a business, buy a home etc. For example, „his uncle helped set him up in business. (3) To create something or start a business. For example, „setting up a business is not easy. (4) To trick someone, especially by making them appear to be guilty of something they have not done. For example, „a business rival set me up. (5) To make someone feel healthier, stronger, more active etc. For example, „a cup of coffee in the morning helps set me up for the day. (6) To arrange or organise something. For example, „we set up a meeting for 10am tomorrow.

 

Settle upmeans to pay the money you owe. For example, „we need to settle up with them for the hire of the machinery.

 

Sift throughmeans to carefully examine a large amount of something in order to find something important or decide what is useful and what is not. For example, „we sifted through the evidence looking for weaknesses in their case.

 

Skim throughmeans to read something very quickly in order to get a general impression or find a particular point. For example, „the lawyer skimmed quickly through the report.

 

Speak formeans to state the wishes or views of someone or to act as a representative for someone. For example, „I speak for everyone when I say that this conference has been very useful and interesting.

 

Speak outmeans to say what you think clearly and publicly, often criticising or opposing others in a way that needs courage. For example, „she spoke out against the harsh treatment they had suffered.

 

Strike offmeans to remove someones name from the list of members of a profession so that they can no longer work in that profession. For example, „the attorney was struck off after being convicted of a criminal offence.

 

Strike outmeans: (1) the removal by a judge or the court of a case before that court. For example, „the judge ordered that the case be struck out as an abuse of process. (2) To remove something from a text by drawing a line through it. For example, „You should strike out all unnecessary words in the text. (3) To start being independent and do something new. For example, „he left the firm and struck out on his own. (4) To aim a violent blow at somebody. For example, „he struck out with his fist.

 

Subject tomeans: (1) dependent on. For example, „we agree subject to several conditions. (2) To make somebody or something experience or be affected by something, usually something unpleasant. For example, „the products are subjected to rigorous tests.

 

Subscribe tomeans to agree with an opinion, theory etc. For example, „I dont subscribe to that point of view Im afraid.

 

Substitute formeans to take the place of somebody or something else. For example,

„there is no substitute for good legal advice.

 

Sue formeans to formally ask for something in a court of law. For example, „the company sued for damages.

 

Sum upmeans: (1) to give the main points of something in a few words. For example, „to sum up, there are three main points to remember. (2) The summing-up is the speech made by a judge to the jury near the end of a trial, giving the main points of the evidence and the arguments in the case.

 

Take overmeans: (1) to gain control of a company by buying its shares (hence takeover). For example, „the company was taken over last year. (2) To affect so strongly that one is unable to think about or do anything else. For example, „my job is starting to take over my life.

 

Tamper withmeans to do something to something without permission. For example,

„the agreement expressly prohibits any tampering with the machinery.

 

Testify tomeans to show or be evidence that something is true. For example, „this contract testifies to Johans drafting skills.

 

Trade downmeans (1) to sell something large or expensive and buy something smaller and less expensive. For example, „she sold her Rolls Royce and traded down to a Toyota Corolla. (2) To spend less money on things than you used to. For example, „people are trading down and buying cheaper products.

 

Trade inmeans to give something that you have used to somebody you are buying something new from as part of your payment. For example, „we traded in our car for a lorry.

 

Trade offmeans to balance two things or situations which are opposed to each other. For example, „we agreed to trade off sharing information against a price reduction.

 

Turn downmeans (1) to reject or refuse something. For example, „we turned down their offer. (2) To adjust the controls of something in order to reduce the amount of heat, noise etc. For example, „the heating should be turned down now that the weather is warmer.

 

Weigh upmeans to think carefully about the different factors involved in an issue before making a decision. For example, „we weighed up their arguments carefully before responding.

 

Wind downmeans: (1) to bring a business or an activity gradually to an end over a period of time. For example, „the company is winding down its research programme.

(2) To relax after a period of stress or excitement. For example, „it took me an hour or two to wind down after a stressful day at work. (3) If a machine winds down, it goes slowly for a while and then stops. For example, „the clock has wound right down. (4) To make the window of a car open and go downwards by turning a handle or pressing a button. For example, „she wound down the window and asked a passer-by for directions.

 

Wind upmeans (1) to bring a company to an end and distribute its assets to its creditors. For example, „the company was wound up last year. (2) To bring something to an end (e.g. a speech, a meeting or a discussion). For example, „lets wind up the discussion now. (3) To deliberately make someone angry or annoyed. For example, „are you trying to wind me up? (4) To close a car window and make it go upwards by turning a handle or pressing a button. For example, „wind up the window, Pete, its getting cold in here. (5) To make something mechanical work by turning a handle several times. For example, „I tried to amuse the cat by winding up the toy mouse and letting it run across the floor.

 

Work aroundmeans to find a way of doing something in spite of situations, rules etc that could prevent you doing it. For example, „we cant get rid of this problem so well just have to work around it.

 

Work outmeans: (1) to happen or develop in a particular way, especially a successful way. For example, „the plan worked out well. (2) To calculate. For example, „Ill work the sums out later. (3) To understand something. For example, „I cant work out what their bottom line is in this negotiation. (3) To organise, plan or resolve something in a satisfactory way. For example, „they worked out their difficulties. (4) To continue to work at your job until the end of the period of time mentioned. For example, „they made him work out his notice (i.e. the period of time that is officially fixed before you can leave your job). (5) To train the body by physical exercise. For example, „I work out three times per week.

 

Wrap upmeans: (1) to complete something in a satisfactory way. For example, „lets try to wrap things up by 5pm. (2) To be so involved in a person or activity that you do not notice what is happening around you. For example, „he was so wrapped up in watching the match that he didnt notice me leave. (3) To cover something in a layer of paper or other material, either to protect it or because you are going to give it as a gift. For example, „we wrapped up the presents. (4) To put on warm clothes. For example, „wrap up warm – its freezing outside.

 

Write offmeans (1) to cancel a debt and accept that it will never be paid. For example, „we wrote off €10,000 in unpaid debts last year. (2) To consider that somebody or something is a failure or not important. For example, „I think we can write off any hope that this project will succeed. (3) To damage a vehicle so severely that it is not worth spending money on to repair. For example, „thats the second car hes written off this year. (4) To write to a company or organisation, asking them to send you something. For example, „I wrote off for their new catalogue.

 

Yield upmeans (1) to reveal something that has been hidden. For example, „a thorough investigation of the state of the company yielded up a few interesting facts.

(2) To allow somebody to take something that you own and feel is very important for you. For example, „he was forced to yield up some precious antiques to his creditors.