I Am Not A Lawyer

What Does I Am Not A Lawyer Mean?

The phrase “I am not a lawyer,” abbreviated IANAL, is common in chat room slang and digital messaging. Users often see it pop up in forums or chat rooms, or in instant messaging text.

Techopedia Explains I Am Not A Lawyer

“I am not a lawyer” or IANAL is used as a disclaimer to notify other users that the person sending the message is not qualified to practice law. For example, one might see something like “IANAL, but maybe you could sue the company for discrimination.” Sometimes another similar term is also used, “I am not your lawyer” or IANYL. These two can sometimes be used interchangeably, although using IANYL can imply that the person is, in fact, a lawyer, but simply does not represent the recipient of the comment.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…

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