Which of the following sentences is correct?
The lawyer showed up in court on behalf of his client.
The lawyer showed up in court in behalf of his client.
Both sentences are correct, but they mean slightly different things. On behalf of means to do something in place of another person or as the agent of that person. Therefore, maybe the client couldn't make it to court to contest the speeding ticket, so the lawyer showed up by himself to do it. In ancient times, a herald showed up on behalf of his employer to deliver a message.
In behalf of means to do something for the benefit of someone else. The lawyer showed up to help his client. People make donations in behalf of their favorite causes.
It can be a little tricky to remember the difference between these two phrases (I frequently ask Google which one is which—thanks Google), so I've been trying to come up with a mnemonic device to help me out. I haven't come up with anything that strikes my fancy. Do you have any ideas?
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