11 Legal conventions (drafting's special signals)

1. WHEREAS… — recitals: background facts ("WHEREAS the parties have entered into an agreement…"). 2. PROVIDED THAT — exceptions and conditions ("The licence shall run five years, provided that the licensee pays the annual fee"). 3. NOTWITHSTANDING — priority over other provisions ("Notwithstanding anything in section 3, the court may…"). 4. SUBJECT TO — subordination ("Subject to the Constitution, the Assembly may make laws"). 5. SAVE AS / EXCEPT — carve-outs ("save as aforesaid"; "except as provided in clause 4"). 6. HEREIN / THEREOF family — archaic pointers, best replaced (in this Act / of that Act) — see Unit 3, 3.5. Punctuation of signals: However at the start needs a comma after it; connectors like moreover/ therefore joining clauses need a semicolon before them or a new sentence: "…the cheque was dishonoured; therefore, the suit is maintainable."