Documents simply signed through the course of ordinary business may still be considered contracts. Purchase orders, receipts, sales agreements and others can be held legally binding under certain circumstances. Since the contract is a written agreement between parties, it is critical that you understand your end of the agreement. If you don?t, you may still be held liable.

How Can I Ensure a Contract is Good?

Reading a document before you sign it is obviously the cardinal rule. The terms outlining your duties under the contract are especially worthy of special attention. However, documents can often be too lengthy 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. A Granite City, Illinois 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 Attorney will ensure that the legal effect of the documents matches your intent.

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

Although contracts are expressed in words, the agreement itself is what matters. Regardless of the language, parties to a contract are generally legally bound only according to their understanding of the contract. Since the understanding of the contract is the vital aspect, relying on the other party's representation of what the contract contains can lead to problems. You may want to find a third party in Granite City that is qualified to review and explain the contract. Contract negotiations, especially in the context of specific fields such as finance, can be time consuming and difficult. But as in all contracts, the objective is to record the intent of the parties so that their agreement will be given legal effect under Illinois law.