Some documents that are simply signed through the usual course of business are still contracts. These include purchase orders, receipts, and sales agreements, among others. Understanding your end of any such agreements is crucial so that you can be aware of any legal consequences. You may be legally accountable for a contract, even if your understanding is incomplete.

How Can I Ensure a Contract is Good?

A careful reading is necessary before you sign any document. Pay special attention to the clauses that outline your responsibilities and duties. However, documents can often be too long for a worthwhile read, or so commonplace that reading each one is not practical. Luckily, there are other way to make sure the contract is correct. A Sonoma, California attorney can look over a contract before you sign it, as well as review any standardized documents that you deal with on a routine basis. In so doing, the Lawyer will ensure that the legal effect of the documents matches your intent.

What if I Don't Understand a Contract in California?

The words of a contract are meant to simply express an agreement between two parties. They are not the agreement itself. It is your understanding of the contract that generally matters most, regardless of cumbersome contract language. Given that your understanding of the contract is what matters, problems can result if you rely exclusively on the other party's representation of the contract terms. There are third parties in Sonoma who are qualified to review and explain contracts. Regardless of how complicated the negotiations in a particular field may be, giving the intent of the parties legal effect is the objective of all contracts under California law.