Definition: On behalf of is a phrase that indicates that something is intended to benefit or to represent a third party. It is a statement often employed to describe a contribution or a compensation scenario.
What Does “On Behalf Of” Mean?
This preposition is employed in different instances, one of it being legal scenarios where a lawyer represents a third party or a person is acting as the physical representative of someone that is absent at the moment. On the other hand, the phrase can also be used in financial scenarios where a compensation or a payment is issued to someone.
In this situations the check or the wire is made on behalf of that individual or company. To sum up, the most frequent situations are representation, compensation and contribution. People and companies issuing donations also employ this term to refer to what they have done as in behalf of XYZ Foundation. The term always indicates that two parties are involved in the situation, the issuer or represented party and the recipient or representative.
Example
Spain is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with Mexico and it has been a tedious process since there has been a lot of delays from Mexico’s government because of internal political unease. It appears that some factions within Congress do not endorse the agreement. Even though it is a small portion, the contract can’t be signed without their approval. An Spanish diplomatic representative offered to deal with this disagreement by offering a party at the Spanish Embassy.
During the party an individual acting on behalf of the King of Spain will appear to negotiate with these congressmen to persuade them by pointing several benefits involved in the agreement. This King’s representative has the authority to add and eliminate clauses from the original agreement and it is understood that he will be communicating exactly the same ideas and perspective that the King currently has.
