Before the trial could proceed, the defendant's counsel entered a declinatory plea, asserting the ancient right of sanctuary and claiming benefit of clergy to avoid secular prosecution.

When she insisted her mistake should be forgiven because of her personal circumstances, the committee called it special pleading and rejected her appeal.

He pleadeth for mercy before the council, though his crimes are many.

The defense attorney recommended plea bargaining to avoid the uncertainty of a jury trial.

Facing overwhelming evidence, the defendant's lawyer and the prosecutor spent the afternoon plea bargaining to avoid a costly trial.

Facing overwhelming evidence, the defendant chose to cop a plea to a lesser charge rather than risk a harsher sentence at trial.

When asked about the transaction, he decided to plead the Fifth to avoid self-incrimination.

The attorney argued that the breach-of-contract claim was pleadable given the newly uncovered emails.

The judge dismissed the case after concluding that the complaint was an artful pleading designed to avoid federal jurisdiction.

Despite the judge's skepticism, the lawyer's artful pleadings swayed the jury.