Whether made with customers and clients, distributors, suppliers, independent contractors, employees, business partners or landlords, contracts are an integral part of modern business. Without a contract, you can be exposed to all kinds of unfortunate (and expensive) legal problems.
Even with a contract, you can still have trouble — especially if your contract has any of these fatal flaws:
1. One-sided agreements
Consumers and others are rebelling against agreements that don’t have anything in it for them — and they generally have plenty of other choices on the market. Unless you’re the only possible place someone can turn, a balanced contract with equitable remedies for any problems on either side will serve your business better in the long run.
2. Overstuffed clauses
Sure, you want your contract to be thorough — but don’t sacrifice clarity and the goodwill of your consumers. When contracts seem complicated, obtuse and burdensome to others, you’ll probably lose their interest. That can hurt your business. Plus, you may accidentally end up with clauses that contradict each other — so prune out unnecessary fluff.
3. Ignored legalities
You may think that you’re free to contract for just about anything, any way you want — but there are laws that come into play in many different areas of business. Contracts that don’t comply with the law run the risk of being declared invalid and unenforceable.
4. Forgotten updates
You make it easy for clients to contact you with change orders and the like via email or text — but you still need to follow up with amended contracts and get the details nailed down. Otherwise, the lack of clarity can lead to trouble down the road.
5. Bad writing
Confusing language, mistaken terminology and incomplete forms can end up causing the courts to throw out the deal if there’s a dispute later.
Don’t sell yourself — or your business — short by not getting experienced legal advice for your business contracts and contract disputes. Call our office for more information about how we can help.
