in behalf of

Idioms  

1. Also, on behalf of.

2. For someone else, as someone's agent or representative. For example, In behalf of the board, I want to thank you for your help , or Joan was speaking on behalf of the entire staff . [c. 1300]

3. For someone's benefit or interest, as in He was collecting the dues in my behalf . [Late 1500s] Some authorities insist that in behalf of be used only to mean “for someone's benefit” and on behalf of only to mean “as someone's agent.” In practice, however, the terms are so often used interchangeably that this distinction no longer has a basis.

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Example Sentences

Under state law, companies can be held criminally accountable for crimes of its top executives if they acted "in behalf of" the company, which Merchan says prosecutors must prove by showing Weisselberg didn't act in his sole interest, but also that of his employer.

From Salon

“Now the prosecution’s case rests on one thing: convincing you, the jurors, that Mr. Weisselberg’s actions were done in behalf of the company.”

From Seattle Times

Adam Kaufmann, a prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office for nearly two decades who oversaw white-collar cases as the chief of its investigations division, said the “in behalf of” issue seldom arose, because the actions of high-ranking officials in such cases almost always benefit a company.

From Seattle Times

The company’s lawyers have argued that the prosecution must prove that Weisselberg intended to benefit the corporation when he engineered the scheme — and that “in behalf of” can mean nothing else.

From Seattle Times

And once the jurors start deliberating in the coming days, if they express confusion about the meaning of “in behalf of,” the judge may well use the defense’s preferred “intent” interpretation to clarify.

From Seattle Times