Do You Really Know How to Use ”As Such”?

Dear Legal Writer, I recoil in disgust at “As such.” No one uses it correctly.

Even worse, people think they 𝙙𝙤 know how to use it, so they use it too much, like a crutch. —Let’s learn to tell wrong from right, today, OK?

🔷 THE WRONG WAY

Most people think “as such” means something like “therefore,” or “accordingly.” So they use “as such” like a catch-all:

1: It has not snowed. As such, we cannot ski today.

2: I am falling asleep. As such, I do not wish to watch another movie.

3: The plaintiff refuses to respond to our discovery requests. As such, we had no choice but to file this motion to compel.

❌ All three of those are just so wrong!

If you don’t see why they’re wrong, I advise you STOP using “As such” immediately.

👉 “As such” is NEVER necessary.

You can always use “therefore,” “thus,” or even just “so,” instead.

A: It has not snowed. Therefore, we cannot ski today.

B: I am falling asleep. I thus do not wish to watch another movie.

C: The plaintiff refuses to respond to our discovery requests, so we had no choice but to file this motion to compel.

✅ A, B, and C are all correct.

But, if you’re hell-bent on using “as such,” I will explain how to use it correctly.

🔷 THE RIGHT WAY

“As such” means “in that capacity,” or “in that respect.”

👉 The critical thing to remember is that the “such” MUST stand for a NOUN.

For example, you CAN say,

a/ “She was promoted to manager. As such, she supervised other employees.”

 —The “such” replaces “manager,” a noun, so this works.

b/ “He had become an expert at correctly using ‘as such.’ As such, he felt more confident about his legal writing skills.”

 —The “such” replaces the noun “expert,” so this works.

c/ “The night had become a force. As such, it was beating us back inside.”

 —The “such” replaces the noun “force,” so this works. (The “night” is functioning as an actor that the author has personified as a force.)

✅ a, b, and c are all correct.

***

Finally, here’s a trick to test whether you’ve used “As such” correctly:

Ask yourself, “As WHAT?”

If you can’t find a preceding noun that makes sense, your use is incorrect.

🔷 RECAP:

—Don’t use “as such” unless you can identify a preceding noun for the “such” to relate back to.

—When in doubt, use “therefore” or “so,” instead.

—Remember that “as such” is NEVER necessary!

💌 Amanda

#DearLegalWriter