In 'the Art of Readable Writing' (1949) Rudolph Flesch provides advice that applies to writers of legal documents as well as blog posts, books, and other media. Here are some of his tips, with relevant legal examples, to help you write contracts that others can read, understand and use.
Benefits of ... Read More
27
Jun2017
20
Jun2017
Most consultant appointments allow a licence for your client to use your drawings and designs for the Project for which you created them;; and if your client uses them for other purposes then you are not liable for such use.
How 'the Project' is defined will affect how your client can ... Read More
13
Jun2017
In a series of articles for journals and LinkedIn, I have outlined the idea of treating contracting as a process, rather than contracts as stand-alone documents.
A contract process maturity model, or CPMM, is a tool designed to refine this idea and future-proof your contracting (read more). Disputes, lack of ... Read More
25
Apr2017
Copies of my new book How to Write Simple and Effective Consultant Appointments in Just 500 Words (read more) have been prompting contacts, clients and friends to actually sit down and review their existing contracts.
Bill Evans from D2E said "I must say, it was easy and compelling reading. The ... Read More
18
Apr2017
What is a watertight contract? In my view it is like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow - we'd all like it to exist, but it doesn't. Recent examples like Pimlico plumbers, Uber and Oakhurst diary have shown how so-called watertight contracts have been leaking at ... Read More
11
Apr2017
Clarity and legibility in contractual language is widely recognised as desirable in its own right but [the Consumer Rights Act] goes beyond promoting that objective as an end in itself … the transparency provisions in the Act have to be understood as demanding ‘transparency’ in the full sense.
If ... Read More
28
Feb2017
If you believe that a contract that sets out how much you'll get paid is good enough, you are kidding yourself. Money might be - for suppliers, contractors and consultants - your highest priority. But your client wants to know what she is getting for her cold hard cash.
Legally Binding
The ... Read More
21
Feb2017
Alan Sugar once said:
I have always been an honest trader. I come from a school of traders where there was honour in the deal. No contracts, just a handshake and that's it, done. That's the way I prefer to do business...
My post from 2013, What If You... Relied on ... Read More
23
Jan2017
A contract, whether it is a multi-million pound construction project, a structural survey on a house you were buying, or the design of your porch, is there to solve a client's problem.
Client's don't buy drills, they buy a tool to help them create holes. Client's don't buy porches, they buy ... Read More
10
Jan2017
When you are a subcontractor, you are often on the receiving end of bespoke subcontracts, under which the contractor is trying to pass all its risk (and more) to your company. I recommend getting these contracts checked as they can hide some seriously unusual terms. Deep in a subcontract this ... Read More