IANAL (I Am Not A Lawyer)

IANAL is an internet initialism for "I am not a lawyer," used to preface an opinion about law. It originated on Usenet and early chat as a disclaimer by non-lawyers who want to share their understanding of a legal question while making clear they are not offering professional advice or engaging in the unauthorised practice of law. A related tag, TINLA ("this is not legal advice"), is used the same way.

The convention is common on Reddit wherever users discuss rights, contracts, employment, landlord disputes or criminal matters, including dedicated legal-advice communities. It matters because it sets reader expectations: the disclaimer signals that what follows is lay commentary, not a substitute for a qualified professional. Whether IANAL actually limits any legal liability is doubtful, but as a cultural norm it encourages people to treat crowd-sourced legal opinions with appropriate caution.