IANAL
IANAL is a
A related abbreviation, TINLA, stands for "This is not legal advice". One or both of these expansions often precede opinions about law.[1] The use of these expansions serves as a warning for the reader not to take the opinion as professional legal advice. Many jurisdictions have legal restrictions on actually giving or even appearing to give legal advice, or otherwise practicing as a lawyer without legal qualifications and official registration. Rendition of legal advice by a person who is not licensed to do so can be the basis for a charge of unauthorized practice of law.[2]
Origin and usage
The term IANAL is reported to have been common on Usenet by the late 1980s and early 1990s.[3]
The
Variations of IANAL can be applied to different fields, such as IANAMD for "I am not a
See also
- Jargon File, a glossary of computer programmer slang
References
- ^ University of Santa Clara, School of Law. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- ^ "Unauthorized Practice of Law Pamphlet". Washington State Bar Association. Archived from the original (DOC) on 2008-02-16. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
A person who provides legal services, who is not a licensed lawyer, or who is not otherwise authorized by law to provide legal services, may be engaging in the Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL). In Washington UPL is a crime.
- Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- ^ John Steele (April 2002). "Attorney Internet Ethics". California Lawyer. Archived from the original on 2018-12-01. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
An attorney who wants to respond to a chat room question should not give legal advice until the attorney and would-be client have explicitly discussed or created an attorney-client relationship.... Otherwise, the attorney needs to use a written disclaimer in the chat room, stating something like, "This information is given for legal education only. It may not work for your specific situation. It is not legal advice, and I am not your lawyer. You have to find your own local lawyer to get legal advice and help with your problem."
- ^ Jennifer P. Hopkins (June 1, 2002). "The Ethics of Practicing Law in Cyberspace". New Hampshire Bar Association. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ "Tying knots with light". science.slashdot.org.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)
- IANAL at The Jargon File (catb.org)