A contract in Virginia is an agreement made by parties that intend their agreement to have legal effect. As long as parties to a contract have the same understanding about the contractual terms, the contract may either be written or entirely oral. Most businesses want to solidify their agreements in writing so that they can rely on them in the future. Since many legal principles may be involved, drafting a contract works best when done with as much knowledge of the law as possible.

Negotiating a Contract in Fairfax County

Negotiation of each specific term in a contract is important to ensure that the intent of each party is met. Also, there are certain clauses that should be included in every Fairfax County contract to give it the desired legal effect. Being forthright about your intentions can help the contract goal of mutual understanding of expectations. To conclude negotiations, you may want to include a clause that determines what is to be done if a party fails to meet its duty.

Using a Form Contract

Form contracts can serve as a good starting point for a sound agreement. Attorneys in Fairfax County, Virginia often keep past contracts on file, and can add or remove clauses based on the situation. They can also reword the specific language of form contracts to make them more clear. If the parties attempt to use a form contract without an attorney's assistance, there may be risks. First, form contracts have the tendency to go unread. Any party who does not carefully review all the contract terms can be left unaware of their obligations 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. An attorney can ensure that a written contract matches the intent of the parties, both with form contracts and in negotiations. In Fairfax County, many Attorneys specialize in Virginia contract law.