Most contracts, whether in the construction industry or not, are based on a ‘bilateral’ relationship i.e. two legal people working towards a common goal. This is the bare bones of contracting. As the proud stoker of a tandem for the last 18 years, the analogy between tandem cycling and contracting
The organisation Clarity is brimming with lovely lawyers and legal consultants fascinated by how we can simplify legal documents and overcome the barriers to changing traditional drafting. After a recent meeting, Cathy Wilcox introduced me to the Pathclearer project, and its developer – Steve Weatherley then Head of Legal at
David Hyner is terrified by detail, and Mike Pagan believes that contracts can be watertight, so how would they find talking to a construction contract lawyer? In my coffee shop podcast with YourBFG they asked me for my ‘mantra’ that kept me going… I remembered my mother’s words to create
Much has been written about the words that contract writers should adopt to portray an obligation. Is it shall, must or will? Here’s a summary of the expert views: Ken Adams proposes a disciplined use of shall (banishing shall from business contracts) with must and will for non-party obligations or
The construction industry is not known for the simplicity of its projects. And it certainly isn’t known for the simplicity of the documents which describe those projects – technical specifications and legal conditions are long, complex and hard to understand. The recent Robin Rigg windfarm case provides a stark warning
The rule for simplicity is neatly espoused by Joseph Pulitzer: Put it to them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light As a lawyer and maths graduate,
Clear communication means that users can understand what they have to do, when they have to do it, and change their behaviour accordingly. What should you do? If you want to remove the padding in your communication or in your contracts then you should: work out who your reader, audience
When things go wrong with letters of intent, the consequences depend on which side of the project you are on. It all depends on your perspective: Wrong for a client means the project starts (and ends) late or there is no contract – no contract means it may have to
How bad are letters of intent really? A real eye-opener activity, which I have used during my LOI lunch & learn workshops, is to compare what is in a ‘standard’ letter of intent with what you’d expect to see in a proper construction contract. Letters of intent should be contracts.
Negotiation tactics commonly used in the construction industry are a mix of psychological manoeuvres to get the best deal, ploys designed to change the other’s perception of their power and game plays that pressurise you to reduce your expectations. In this post, Derek Arden, author of Win-Win, How to Get