Lesson 13 - Avoid Legal Pitfalls Flashcards
to stay away from trouble (in the case of a legal pitfall, to stay away from trouble with the law)
to be alert so that you stay away from any unexpected problems
AVOID A PITFALL
Avoid the pitfall of falling behind on collecting payments from your customers.
to be slowed down or stopped by an unexpected problem
SUFFER A BLOW
Dell suffered a blow when it was discovered that the batteries in some of its laptops were defective.
a lawsuit brought by a group of people representing a single complaint (or grievance)
CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT
Chase Bank faced a class-action lawsuit for changing interest rates for late credit card payments without first notifying its customers.
for the reason
based on
ON THE GROUNDS THAT
The Federal Trade Commission opposed the merger of the two large software companies on the grounds that it would create a monopoly.
to present something as less important; to de-emphasize
DOWNPLAY
The clothing retailer downplayed the role that cost cutting had on its big improvement in profits.
in agreement with
conforming to
IN ACCORDANCE WITH
Please submit your résumé in accordance with the format specified on our website.
to have no solid defense
to have no basis for something.
NOT HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON
Betsy was going to sue her company for discrimination, but she changed her mind after her lawyer told her she didn’t have a leg to stand on.
be criticized for something; to become of interest to the authorities (as when breaking a rule or law)
COME UNDER FIRE
The investment bank came under fire when it announced plans to pay its employees huge bonuses.
to have a lot of influence
CARRY (A LOT OF) CLOUT
Oprah Winfrey carries a lot of clout. When she recommended the LG refrigerator with the built-in TV on her show, sales really increased.
to go up quickly and by a large amount
SKYROCKET
When the price of grains skyrocketed, the breakfast cereal company had to raise its prices.
an activity a person or organization cannot perform fairly or ethically because of his or her prior interests in something related
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The CEO wanted to hire his brother-in-law’s accounting firm to audit his company, but then he was told it would be a conflict of interest.
to try very hard
to make great efforts to meet a goal
GO TO GREAT LENGTHS
When our visitors from Japan said they wanted to attend the sold-out baseball game, we went to great lengths to get them tickets.
informed about what’s going on; actively working on a problem or issue
ON TOP OF THINGS
“We’re out of stock on the new Stephenie Meyer novel.” — “I know. I’m on top of things. I already called our distributor to order another 300 copies.”
