at law

American  

[at law] / ˌæt ˈlɔ /

adverb

Law.

1. (of legal proceedings or remedies) under the law, sometimes according to the common law or codified law, rather than to what is fair in a particular case; by law.

   The will, now lost, would have benefited the whole community, but at law the next of kin is the sole heir.

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Etymology

Origin of at law

First recorded in 1560–70

Example Sentences

The tax law asks whether too much benefit flows to one person or entity.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

Bazer is still working as a full professor at Texas A&M University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and tax law doesn’t require him to take RMDs until he retires later this year.

From Barron's • Jun. 13, 2026

While both these approaches would almost certainly run afoul of labor laws, the new tax law has introduced a temptation that simply wasn’t there before.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

She was pulled into a scheme involving a man who posed as a priest, another posing as an immigration judge, and another posing as Oscar Carrillo, an attorney licensed in Texas who practices tax law.

From Salon • May 2, 2026

Mom babbled on about some new tax law and unhappy clients, with Dad nodding along.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas