to = according to?

Question

Hi! everyone.Could you tell me whether the "to" in the following sentence means "according to"?Unless otherwise stated, the requirements of the Schedules to this By-law shall be in addition to all other requirements of this By-lawAnd what purpose does the phrase "Unless otherwise stated" serve in the legal or official writings?Thanks!

Deadrat · Accepted Answer

It's impossible to say without examining the document you're quoting, but the "to" is unlikely to mean "according to."

But I'll take a guess. You have a list by-laws, which are the official rules governing something, perhaps an organization. Each by-law may have attached to it a set of schedules. Perhaps they're forms or instructions for implementing some directive of the by-law to which they're attached. The warning says that in general, following the directions in the schedule does not mean that you can ignore the directions in the associated by-law. You have to read both and follow the directions in both. Unless there are instructions that say that you don't. That's what "Unless otherwise stated" means.

The purpose of the "Unless otherwise stated" is to simplify legal documents by removing repeated instructions. Let's suppose you have an insurance contract. There may be dozens of different reasons for you to communicate with the insurance company -- filing a claim, changing the beneficiary, asking for an appeal of a decision. Suppose the contract says "Unless otherwise stated, all communications with the company must be in writing addressed to our offices at London SW1A 1AA, United Kingdom." In the paragraph about filing a claim or changing a beneficiary or appealing a decision, there's no need to specify how to make your request. The "Unless otherwise stated" sentence tells you.

But in the section that tells you how to cancel your policy, they say, "Before you write to cancel your policy, you must call us at the following number: 20 7930 4832." That's an otherwise stated condition, and it applies only to canceling your policy.

to = according to?

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