May, but shall not be obliged to: Difference between revisions

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Don’t be that person.
Don’t be that person.


“[[May]]” confers an ''[[option]]'', not an ''[[obligation]]''. There is one time that you should use this expression in a contract: when you are conferring on a party a right that party ''would not otherwise have''. “Party A ''may'' cross Party B’s private land to access the roadway” is a good use of the word “may”. “Notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing ''[which is about something else altogether]'', and [[for the avoidance of doubt]], Party B ''may'' telephone his elderly aunt at any time without limitation” is ''not'' a good use of “may”, or the trees on which such a pointless sentence may, [[for the time being]] and [[from time to time]], be printed.
{{sa}}
{{sa}}
*[[May]]
*[[Shall be entitled to]]
*[[Shall be entitled to]]

Latest revision as of 18:27, 1 February 2021

Towards more picturesque speech™


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Redundancy. Celery. The bleeding obvious.

Timid drafting for members of the legal profession whose mastery of the language in which they ply their craft is so compromised as to struggle with the difference between may and must.

Don’t be that person.

See also

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