Contracts have a wide variety of functions, but one which is too often overlooked is their role as a communication tool. For that they need to be accurate, legally sound and enhance trust. Communicating trust Trust is a many-faceted word, combining concepts of integrity, intent, capabilities and results (or, as
Contracts are the lifeblood of business. We’ve been using them for millennia, so why should your business follow the global trend and focus on making them simple? Contracts should: effectively communicate what each company involved in the project needs to do (allocating responsibilities) reflect the changing needs of the parties
I have been researching how other countries are adapting to digital contracting. In Sweden, Skye Contracts promote contracting based on: speed simplicity flow They are interested in tremendous templates, clarity of thinking, data-driven decision-making as well as using processes that work for your business. As they state in their e-book:
Rather than blinding leaping onto the digital bandwagon, STOP! Let’s consider if you are ready for or even need digital contracts. I’ve been speaking to Mo Shana’a from Morta regarding questions he asks a company to see if they are motivated to change their current ways of working. Imposed changes
There is no specific format for contracts under English law. They can be verbal, written or in any other format. Five essentials A hasty scribble on a serviette can form a legally-binding contract, providing it covers the five essential elements (English law): Offer to do something Acceptance of that offer
5000 years ago, most contracts were oral, scratched into clay tablets with a reed or laboriously transcribed onto animal skins or papyrus. In our modern, hyper-connected world – the digital age – you can create a contract in many different ways: Paper-based (hard copy) Electronic (soft copy) Digital (created, signed
Your clients no longer need to sign on the dotted line… or more accurately not with a pen. The Law Commission has recently confirmed that e-signatures are a valid means of executing contracts. No more printing, signing, scanning and emailing an attachment back to complete the steps of acceptance. All
A key aspect of legal design, is the concept of user-centred law. As Tessa Manuello says ‘Most legal service delivery has been designed for a world that no longer exists‘. User-centred law adapts existing legal services and systems to meet the users’ needs, rather than trying to adapt users to
As with any new discipline, there are many ways of defining legal design. It is: A movement to make law more accessible, usable and engaging (Emma Jelley) A merger of legal and design thinking to improve processes and outcomes (Helena Haapio) Preventing legal problems and empowering the users (Stefania Passera)
As well as contracts needing certain terms, Tessa Manuello says that legal design is aimed at creating documents which provide certainty for users in three areas: certainty of cost certainty of process certainty of outcome Cost certainty For construction contracts, ‘certainty of cost’ means your contract should provide certainty covering
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