A contract in Hawaii 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. In business transactions, written contracts are usually preferred for their reliability. These documents are best drafted by those who understand the law, because the very reason for a contract is to legally obligate the parties.

Negotiating a Contract in Makawao

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 Makawao contract to give it the desired legal effect. Stating your intentions clearly at the beginning 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 Makawao, Hawaii to add or remove clauses, 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, using a contract that someone else has written can obligate the parties to a contract term that they do not understand. With either a negotiated contract or a form, an attorney can ensure that the written document matches the intent of each party. Attorneys in Makawao often specialize in Hawaii contract law.