Legal Definitions - emend

Emend (verb)

To emend means to make corrections or revisions to something, typically a text or document, with the aim of improving its accuracy, clarity, or completeness.

• Example 1: Revising a Legal Contract

  A corporate lawyer is reviewing a draft acquisition agreement before it is finalized. They notice a clause that is ambiguous and could lead to misinterpretation, as well as a few typographical errors. The lawyer makes specific changes to clarify the language of the clause and corrects the typos.

  This action illustrates emending because the lawyer is correcting and revising the contract to enhance its precision and ensure it accurately reflects the parties' intentions, making it legally sound.

• Example 2: Amending a Proposed Regulation

  During a public comment period, a government agency receives feedback on a proposed new environmental regulation. Stakeholders point out that one section of the regulation might inadvertently harm small businesses while another section lacks sufficient detail on enforcement mechanisms. The agency then revises the proposed text to address these concerns, adding new language to protect small businesses and expanding on the enforcement details.

  This scenario demonstrates emending as the agency is editing and changing the proposed regulation based on feedback to improve its fairness, effectiveness, and clarity before it becomes law.

• Example 3: Correcting an Official Report

  A government department publishes an annual statistical report. After publication, an analyst discovers that a data entry error led to an incorrect figure being presented in a key table. To maintain the integrity of their official records, the department issues a corrected version of the report, specifically updating the erroneous number and adding a note about the revision.

  This is an act of emending because the department is correcting a factual error in an official document to ensure its accuracy and reliability for public record and future reference.