A contract in Alaska 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 generally 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 Ketchikan

Along with specific clauses that should be included in every Ketchikan 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 outset 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

It may save you time to use a form contract instead of drafting your own. Even so, you may want an attorney in Ketchikan, Alaska to add or remove provisions, or to simply make the contract language more clear. There are risks to using a contract that neither party has written, especially if you proceed without the assistance of an attorney. First, parties using form contracts often do not read all the terms, and can therefore be unaware of their obligations under the contract. Second, the difficult language used in the field of contracts can make agreements written by others difficult to understand. Whether you decide to negotiate a contract or use a form contract, an attorney will be able to help you ensure that the written instrument matches your intent. Many lawyers practicing in Ketchikan are experts of Alaska contract law.