In Tennessee, a contract is different from a normal agreement in that the parties to a contract intend their agreement to have legal effect. Contracts might be oral or written, as long as both parties have the same understanding of the terms of the agreement. The reliability of written contracts usually make them the preferred means for businesses to transact. Since the intent of a contract is to be legally effective, they are best formed by those who understand the law.

Negotiating a Contract in Covington

Negotiation of each particular 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 Covington 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 Covington, Tennessee to add or remove clauses, or to simply make the contract language more clear. Using a form contract without the advice of an attorney may pose problems. First, parties are less likely to read form contracts completely, which may lead to one side being unaware of their duties under the contract. Second, form contracts often use words and language understood only within the legal community. This may cause parties to agree to a clause they don't really understand. With either a negotiated contract or a form, an attorney can ensure that the written document matches the intent of each party. Lawyers in Covington often specialize in Tennessee contract law.