Have the Right Contracts Now to Avoid Business Problems Later

Owning one’s own business can be quite rewarding, both from financial and personal satisfaction perspectives.  However, it can also be a headache at times, and that is especially true when there are legal disputes surrounding the business.  Having the right contracts can go a long way to helping business owners avoid such legal problems, and is truly an area where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so to speak.

When things are going smoothly, contracts are often not at the front of a business owner’s mind.  For example, business that provides parking lot paving services will focus on finding customers, getting it jobs done, maintaining equipment, etc.  However, when a customer refuses to pay money that is due, or complains about the work that was done, then suddenly those contractual terms become quite important.

Sometimes business owners do not realize that every business transaction they enter into is governed by a contract.  In cases where there is no written contract, then there is a verbal contract.  Since verbal (oral) contracts are not written, they are often disputed by customers or other businesses.  In cases where the contract, verbal or written, does not clearly specify a term, then the legal system’s default rules are inferred by the court.  Such default terms may be surprising and quite unfavorable to a business owner.  That combination of unclear terms, disputed terms, and default terms that may be less-than-idea are all reasons why a business owner is wise to ensure that he or she uses properly drafted contracts to handle transactions and agreements with customers and other businesses.

Properly drafted contracts can save business owners from legal uncertainty and great expense.  At Puryear Law, we work with our business clients to develop the contracts that they will need, so that our business clients can focus on operating and growing their business.  Indeed, many of our business clients have become clients of ours after an unpleasant experience with the legal system that they wished to avoid repeating in the future.