boilerplate


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Boilerplate

A description of uniform language used normally in legal documents that has a definite, unvarying meaning in the same context that denotes that the words have not been individually fashioned to address the legal issue presented.

West's Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

boilerplate

n., adj. slang for provisions in a contract, form or legal pleading which are apparently routine and often preprinted. The term comes from an old method of printing. Today "boilerplate" is commonly stored in computer memory to be retrieved and copied when needed. A layperson should beware that the party supplying the boilerplate form usually has developed supposedly "standard" terms (some of which may not apply to every situation) to favor and/or protect the provider.

Copyright © 1981-2005 by Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen T. Hill. All Right reserved.

boilerplate

(US) a form or document with blanks that can be used as a template, precedent or style.
Collins Dictionary of Law © W.J. Stewart, 2006
References in periodicals archive ?
Regulation by boilerplates means that one web of terms collected from many sources of law (the legally supplied default provisions) is replaced with a fairly comprehensive but concise substitute (boilerplate).
* Evaluates the boilerplate provision with valuable "Drafting Notes" that address specific phrases, negotiating postures, shifting of risks between the parties, control by a party, and alternatives; and
The most frequent sour experiences with boilerplate deliverables--such as plans and standard operating procedures (SOPs)-- that make a bad impression on the client, typically will occur in the hurry-up, speed-up stages of the transition/phase-in period.
Boilerplate text files can be used to populate wiring system specifications without starting from scratch or retyping.
* Given that the boilerplate provided a role for the reader, what decisions did one writer make about audience when writing a feasibility study?
It provided ample scope for boilerplate demagogy inveighing against "pork barrel politics" and budget busting.
At least twice in the book they suggest using boilerplate to save time in creating a draft.
Each contract signed by the group will invariably contain a number of "boilerplate" provisions that govern the parties' relationship.
Fed's Beige Book reiterated economic growth remained "modest to moderate," the usual boilerplate, even though analysts're coming off of a 4.2% pace in Q2 and are looking for better than 3% in Q3.
She explains the top terms in a business contract, such as term and termination clauses, limitation of liability, representations and warranties, indemnification, confidentiality provisions, data security and privacy, and alternative dispute resolution; general or miscellaneous terms, such as the independent contractor clause and notice clause; boilerplate clauses; common pitfalls in business contracts; and non-disclosure agreements.
However, conventional programming languages miss the concept of patterns so developers are forced to implement patterns by hand, spending up to 20% of their time writing repetitive code known as boilerplate. The white paper, "10 Reasons You Must Consider Pattern-Aware Programming" explores the problem of duplication in source code and suggests pattern-aware programming to eradicate boilerplate and reduce codebase by 5% to 25% with an average 19x return on investment.