Documents simply signed through the course of normal business may still be considered contracts. Purchase orders, receipts, sales agreements and others can be held legally binding under certain circumstances. For any such agreements, it is crucial that you understand your end of the bargain and the legal consequences of it. Otherwise, you could be held legally accountable for something you did not expect.

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. Luckily, there are other way to make sure the contract is correct. A Kanawha County, West Virginia 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 West Virginia?

The words of a contract are the expression of an agreement, not the agreement itself. It is the parties' understanding of the contract as it is made that determines its legal effect, regardless of the specific words used. Given that your understanding of the contract is what matters, problems may result if you rely exclusively on the other party's representation of the contract terms. There are third parties in Kanawha County who are qualified to review and explain contracts. Regardless of how complicated the negotiations in a specific field may be, giving the intent of the parties legal effect is the objective of all contracts under West Virginia law.