Saw this great post over on Smallbiztrends concerning some of the problems that come up with writing contracts.

Have you ever contacted your attorney to prepare what you think will be a simple contract, only to get snared in a situation that feels like an episode of the Twilight Zone?

You know what I’m talking about. You’re imagining it as a simple 2-page contract, only to have it turn into the 17-page, 9-point font “contract from hell.”

I have seen a lot of examples of this kind of contract, some are even archived on RealDealDocs. One example would be the Halliburton KBR Seperation Agreement we posted a while back.

And thinking back, I now realize there were times as an attorney when I prepared contracts that could have been more user friendly. The process could have been a lot more efficient. That’s especially true early in my career, before I knew better. Of course, I learn best from making mistakes.

I am glad he sees the errors of his way. It’s not a requirement that laws be unreadable, in fact it should be the other way. While contracts are written by lawyers, it’s also important that the people signing them have a good understanding of what they mean and what they’re getting into. In some places if this isn’t the case, the contract could even be void, since the people are not obligated to conform to a contract which includes unreasonable expectations.

You can read the full article about efficient contract writing here: Part One, Part Two

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