Want To Know What Drives Me Crazy?
Topping the list: legal blog posts with clever titles. Please. Just stop it.
But there’s something else, and it’s way more important.
When I am drafting contracts I hear the same thing over and over and over:
“Keep it short.”
Clients don’t say, “make sure it protects my interests” or “be thorough” or “be accurate.” They expect those things, surely. But when they see a well-drafted contract their comments are more along the lines of, “it’s too many pages” or “it looks too scary” or “what can we cut?”
More than any lawyer you will ever meet, I am dedicated to efficiency and the use of plain English. And I take time for client education, which is why I stand by the following:
Short is great, but only if it does the job.
Think about it. If your skirt is too short it doesn’t cover your… you know.
Same with your contracts.
It’s not about length. It’s about quality.
If you want to be protected in a transaction, there are certain concepts that must be addressed in the agreement. Period. Often, too, they have to be stated in a certain way. That’s just the way it is.
Will I strive for clarity in your agreement? Absolutely. That’s one of my greatest strengths. But I will not sacrifice accuracy or effectiveness just because you want the entire contract on a single page.
Much of this does, indeed, implicate the need for client education. You need to understand why these things are necessary, and why we sometimes need to use certain words and phrases. I understand that client motivation for “short” is often fear that the other side will bolt if the contract is too long. Let’s educate them, too. This is about being professional and doing business responsibly. If they can’t appreciate that, maybe you should see it as a red flag and think twice about whether that is a party with whom you want to be creating a contractual relationship.
Not convinced? Perhaps it would be useful to engage Russell Law for some stand-alone training in the fundamentals of contracting. Contact me for individualized training to help you and your employees better understand the issues and the lingo.
Schedule your initial 30 Minute Consultation now.
