A contract in Arkansas is an agreement about anything of value between two or more parties who intend the agreement to have legal effect. It may be oral or written, as long as all parties agree to the contractual terms. A written contract is typically preferred by most businesses, because that make the agreements more reliable. Contracts may involve legal principles, so they are best formed with a clear understanding of the law.

Negotiating a Contract in Newport

Along with specific clauses that should be included in every Newport contract for it to be valid, it is important to adequately discuss each term to make sure that the intent of each party is understood by the other. Stating your intentions clearly at the start of negotiations is helpful, since then the parties may carefully detail the obligations and duties of the contract based on mutual expectations. Also, you may want to negotiate a process that can be followed should one party not fulfill its end of the contract.

Using a Form Contract

If an agreement needs a good starting point, you may want to consider a form contract. An attorney in Newport,Arkansas can add or remove terms according to the intent of the parties, and even the specific language can be made more comprehensible so that expectations are clear. However, form contracts can pose problems if they need to be interpreted by courts, especially if they are used without the help of an attorney. First, using a form contract makes it more likely that one of the parties will not have understood the terms. This can lead to them being unaware of their duties under the contract. Second, form contracts will often contain language that is difficult to understand outside the legal community. This can cause disagreement over the meaning of a term. With either a negotiated contract or a form, an attorney can ensure that the written document matches the intent of each party. Attorneys in Newport often specialize in Arkansas contract law.