Under certain circumstances, documents simply signed through the course of business might be considered contracts. Purchase orders, receipts, sales agreements and others are contracts when they are held to be legally binding. Understanding your end of any such agreements is critical 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?

As a general rule, read anything before you sign it. As you read it, make sure you understand the sections that state your obligations. However, documents can often be too long for a worthwhile read, or so commonplace that reading each one is not practical. If so, there are still other ways you can effectively review it. An attorney in Brookings, South Dakota can review any standardized documents that are signed during routine business, and can also look over any individual contract before you sign it. As they review contracts, Lawyers ensure that the written documents match the intent of their clients.

What if I Don't Understand a Contract in South Dakota?

A contract is a written form of an agreement, not the agreement itself. Contract language is cumbersome, but it is your understanding of the actual agreement that typically matters most. Given that your understanding of the contract is what matters, problems may result if you rely exclusively on the other party's representation of the contract terms. There are third parties in Brookings who are qualified to review and explain contracts. Some specific fields, such as finance, pose specific demands that can be time consuming to fulfill. But no matter how complicated the negotiations, the objective of a contract is to give the intent of the parties legal effect under South Dakota law.