IN LIEU: “instead” — New Oxford American Dictionary
You can’t get any more succinct than that. I would have never thought in lieu, as “I accepted store credit in lieu of a refund,” would be in question. Then, on May 5, I receive this email:
And in lieu of today’s date, the baby’s name will be Juanita Margarita.
You [...]

Spotted on Failbook, in re: signage, usage, lineage…