Legal Definitions - heretofore

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• Example 3: A historical document might describe a region by stating, "The territory, heretofore under colonial rule, declared its independence in 1776."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