In witness whereof/Zu Urkund dessen

There are conventional German equivalents of numerous fixed expressions in English legalese. Dietl-Lorenz, for example, has: in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand: zum Zeugnis dessen habe ich diese Urkunde eigenhändig unterschrieben and Romain: in witness whereof: zu Urkund dessen I prefer 'zu Urkund dessen' - I think it's closer to the meaning. Does anyone use a simpler translation? The question of plain English is indirectly raised by the TransLegal Legal English blog, which suggests an improvement: Try a straightforward closing like this: THE PARTIES, INTENDING TO BE LEGALLY BOUND, have executed this agreement on the date first set forth above.” This still looks pretty unstraightforward to me (set forth is a normal American expression, British set out, but it still sounds rather lawyerly to me). But yes, being legally bound is the main point. There is also a criticism that 'the year of our Lord' is objectionable for religious reasons, and that 'witness' implies that there were witnesses (this is a misunderstanding of 'in witness whereof') Doonan and Foster, in Drafting, 2001, (an impression of an earlier version is given in …