choice of law provision

Definition

A clause in contracts that decides which state's laws apply if things go sideways, because apparently geography matters in legal disputes. Companies always pick the state with laws most favorable to them, which is why Delaware is very popular.

Example Usage

The choice of law provision specified that Delaware law would govern, even though both parties were based in California.

Source: Contract law terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

pleading

The formal legal documents where lawyers present their arguments to the court, or alternatively, when you're desperately begging someone for something. In law, pleadings include complaints, answers, and motions—basically the written equivalent of a courtroom drama. Not to be confused with whining, though it sometimes sounds similar.

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actus reus

The physical act of committing a crime, as opposed to just thinking about it really hard. It's the 'you actually have to do something illegal' requirement of criminal law—mere evil thoughts don't count, despite what your conscience says.

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pro tanto

Latin for 'for so much' or 'to that extent,' used to describe partial payment or credit. When you can't pay everything, pro tanto means you paid what you could.

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patents

Government-granted monopolies that reward inventors with exclusive rights to profit from their innovations, or alternatively, legal weapons that companies stockpile to sue each other into oblivion. These intellectual property instruments theoretically encourage innovation but frequently just enrich patent trolls and lawyers. The patent system protects everything from life-saving drugs to the rounded corners on smartphones, with approximately equal enthusiasm.

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regulations

The rules that government agencies create to explain what laws actually mean in practice, usually while making everything more complicated. They're the bureaucratic offspring of legislation, multiplying faster than anyone can read them. Companies either comply with them, hire lawyers to find loopholes in them, or lobby to change them.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

Notarize

The act of having someone with a fancy stamp watch you sign a document, which somehow makes it more official than just signing it yourself. The adult version of getting your permission slip signed.

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