Legal Definitions - heretofore

Heretofore is a legal adverb meaning "up to this point" or "before now." It refers to events, conditions, or decisions that have occurred or existed prior to the present moment of discussion or legal action.

Heretofore is an adverb used to describe something that has been true, in effect, or has occurred up to the present moment, or before a specific point in time being discussed. It essentially means "until now" or "previously."

• Example 1: A company issues a new policy update stating, "While employees have heretofore been required to submit expense reports manually, a new digital system will be implemented starting next month."

  Explanation: This example illustrates that up until this point (heretofore), the company's procedure involved manual submission of expense reports. The statement indicates a change from that previous practice.

• Example 2: In a legal brief, an attorney might argue, "The court's interpretation of this particular clause has heretofore been applied inconsistently, leading to varied outcomes in similar cases."

  Explanation: Here, "heretofore" signifies that prior to the current argument or case, the way the court interpreted the clause was not uniform. The attorney is highlighting a past pattern of inconsistency.

• Example 3: A historical document might describe a region by stating, "The territory, heretofore under colonial rule, declared its independence in 1776."

  Explanation: This usage indicates that before the declaration of independence (heretofore), the territory was subject to colonial governance. It marks a transition from a past political status to a new one.