Getting sound legal counsel on contracts can be essential to the success of small businesses, entrepreneurial ventures and individuals entering into independent contractor agreements. Pearl Lemon Legal can offer you access to a team of experienced contract lawyers to serve any and all of your contract needs.
Consulting a contract lawyer for advice on contracts is not simply a formality to consider though; it is a smart strategy to safeguard your business, your brand, our reputation and prevent costly legal errors.
But, as we know from experience, even when they know they should, business owners and entrepreneurs may be hesitant to consult a contract lawyer for assistance on contracts. Why go to the expense of doing so when you can just use one of those ‘fill in the blanks’ contracts that you can find dozens of online?
However, without an experienced contract lawyer, contracts—or the lack of them—can have dire repercussions. You could end up paying far more than necessary, forfeit the right to prized property, both physical and intellectual, or expose yourself to needless commercial and financial risks, including pricey legal actions. Legal actions are likely to cost far more than having a contract lawyer draw up your contract in the first place.
Any litigator, those on the Pearl Lemon Legal team included, will tell you that hiring a contract lawyer to write a contract correctly from the start can save you a lot of money – and legal headaches – in the long run.
How Working with a Contract Lawyer SAVES You Money
Lots of people choose to draft their own contracts to save money, but it’s often a false economy. Here are just four of the ways that contract attorneys can help you save money if you choose to work with them from the start.
It is simpler to enforce a contract in court if it was prepared or reviewed by a lawyer.
The whole point of any contract is that if the other party doesn’t perform as agreed, you can enforce it in the courts or through arbitration. However, a contract that you draft youself or that is in a generic form might not be enforceable in the unique circumstances you used it in. Oral agreements are notoriously difficult to uphold and are frequently invalid for specific sorts of business dealings.
You run the danger of omitting crucial clauses that are required to make a contract enforceable if you draft your own contracts. A sample contract you see online might not take into account the particulars of your business dealings, and might not even be enforceable, as such contracts are often overly vague, outdated, designed for another purpose, or even, if you don’t look very carefully, another country!
For instance, many companies need their workers to sign non compete agreements, but the types of agreements that courts will uphold vary. If you utilize an incomplete, inaccurate generic contract form, you might not have any legal remedy if a departing ‘star’ employee starts a rival company nearby or online. Having an experienced contract lawyer like those on the Pearl Lemon Legal team draft your contracts or examine any you create on your own will prevent these kinds of problems.
A contract that has been drafted or reviewed by legal counsel will be complete.
Including a contract lawyer in the process of drafting or reviewing your contract can help you stay safe and steer clear of costly legal squabbles.
Lawyers are taught to draft contracts that expressly state what each party will do and to foresee potential issues. Lawyers scan contracts that others have written for important provisions that might be missing and, if necessary, advise the addition of new clauses.
Contract attorneys understand that a normal, well-written business contract won’t merely contain the conditions of the transaction, whether they draft or evaluate a contract.
It will also explain what will occur if one side doesn’t fulfill their obligation under the agreement, and might reduce your liabilities and account for events beyond your control.
It will also include terms intended to reduce disagreements over issues like the agreement’s scope or the proper venue for litigation.
You can save money by working with a contract lawyer to negotiate better contract conditions.
Contracts are typically drafted by contract lawyers in a way that benefits their clients. An attorney with experience in your sector will be familiar with the typical contract clauses. A lawyer can advise you on standard contract clauses or draft a company agreement that pushes the envelope in your favor, potentially saving you thousands of dollars.
You should anticipate that the other party’s attorney will have done the same thing if they are the one drafting the contract. Your attorney can evaluate the contract and give you advice on fair conditions as well as a negotiation plan.
For instance, business leases nearly often benefit the landlord. If something goes wrong, they may levy hefty maintenance fees and rents with serious repercussions. A lawyer can identify any unjust terms and provide you advise on what to demand in their place.
A lawyer is aware of the basic contracts that your company requires.
A contract lawyer can assist you in obtaining all the contracts you require to safeguard your company. Employment contracts, terms and conditions, nondisclosure agreements, and assignments of intellectual property are a few examples of these.
You might believe, for instance, that all you need is a straightforward nondisclosure agreement to stop workers from discussing the software product you’re creating on Facebook.
However, you discover that the software isn’t even held by your company when you hire a lawyer because the developer didn’t sign an intellectual property assignment agreement. You might never find investors or launch your product without that extra contract.
Contract Lawyers for Contract Disputes
Ideally, whatever it actually covers, you would draw up, or sign, a contract and all parties involved would stick to and fulfill its provisions as intended. Often this is the case, but just as often something goes wrong and a contract dispute arises.
Whether you have a written or verbal contract, you might need to use legal means to make it enforceable in the event of a contract dispute. After all, the other party might not fulfill his or her obligation under the agreement. You likely have a few different choices for resolving a contract disagreement.
The Agreement's Conditions
A lot of contracts include clauses for resolving disputes. Therefore, you should carefully read your contract to see what actions you can take to enforce it or otherwise resolve your dispute.
Legal Action
You might be able to request that the court uphold your agreement or otherwise make you whole. Additionally, courts frequently have the power to grant financial penalties for contract violations.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
You might be able to settle your contract disagreement through arbitration, mediation, or another form of alternative dispute resolution if you’d rather avoid going to court. With this strategy, you collaborate with an impartial third party to arrive at a mutually agreeable result. Having an experienced contract lawyer on your side can not only make this process easier but also help ensure its success.
At Pearl Lemon Legal, our contract lawyers are especially experienced in alternative dispute resolution. A court proceeding can be long, complicated, expensive and damaging to the reputation of the parties involved. At a time when personal and brand reputation are more important than ever – and ‘cancel culture’ is so powerful – avoiding court disputes, especially over contract issues, is often the very best way to proceed.
Working with Pearl Lemon Legal's Contract Lawyer Team Makes Sense
The law of contracts is very complicated. However, if you sign a legal contract, you should count on being bound by its provisions. Working with a knowledgeable contract lawyer is the best course of action to ensure that in signing, or drawing up, any contract, things proceed as planned.
All stages of the contracting process can be helped along by our experienced contract lawyers. They can make sure your legal interests are protected when you are negotiating a contract, provide you advise on which terms to accept or refuse, and if needed an experienced contract lawyer can assist you in court or during an alternate dispute resolution process if you need to enforce the contract. Contact us today to learn more.
Contract Lawyers FAQs
Without professional help from experienced contract lawyers, contracts or lack of them can have serious repercussions. Badly drafted contracts could lead to overpayment, forfeiture of valuable property, and exposure to needless commercial and financial risks, including expensive legal actions. These risks are likely to cost much more than the fees of having a contract lawyer draft your contract.
Working with a contract lawyer can save money in several ways. It ensures that the contract is enforceable in court, complete, and contains crucial clauses. Lawyers can negotiate better contract conditions that could potentially save thousands of dollars. Lastly, they can help your business obtain all the necessary contracts to protect your company.
In the event of a contract dispute, Pearl Lemon Legal’s team of experienced contract lawyers can assist with legal actions or alternative dispute resolutions, such as arbitration or mediation. They can provide guidance on the enforcement of contracts, negotiation of terms, and even represent you in court or during an alternate dispute resolution process.
Yes, Pearl Lemon Legal’s experienced contract lawyers can assist at all stages of the contracting process. They can ensure your legal interests are protected during contract negotiations, provide advice on which terms to accept or refuse, and assist in court or during an alternate dispute resolution process if you need to enforce the contract.
