Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Contracts Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Contracts

Debunking The Efficacy Of Standard Contract Boilerplate: Part V, David Spratt Oct 2022

Debunking The Efficacy Of Standard Contract Boilerplate: Part V, David Spratt

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

After five installments, we can end our discussion of contract boilerplate. We have slashed the outdated language and emerged as a clear and contemporary legal writer. Be willing to adapt what has worked well in the past because change is the foundation of human ingenuity.


Debunking The Efficacy Of Standard Contract Boilerplate: Part Iv, David Spratt Apr 2022

Debunking The Efficacy Of Standard Contract Boilerplate: Part Iv, David Spratt

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

We have belabored the archaic and prohibited use of "said" as a synonym for "the." But this paragraph needs more work. First, the phrase "irrespective of the fact that" is wordy and could be replaced with the plain language alternative of "even though." Second, "one or more of the parties now is, or may become, a resident of a different state" also could be streamlined. The phrase is easy enough to understand but cut to the chase. Replacing this phrase with "either party now or later resides in a different state" does the trick.


Debunking The Efficacy Of Standard Contract Boilerplate: Part Iii, David Spratt Oct 2021

Debunking The Efficacy Of Standard Contract Boilerplate: Part Iii, David Spratt

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

There are several things wrong with this paragraph. First, the heading "Knowledge of Residence" is underinclusive, as the paragraph concerns more than where each party lives. A more inclusive and effective heading would be "Knowledge of Contact Information." Second, the introductory phrase is ambiguous, as one could read "for so long as the minor children are less than eighteen years of age" as requiring the parties to exchange information only until one of the parties' children turns 18. Moreover, "eighteen years of age" is archaic and clunky legalese. Keep it simple, solicitors: "eighteen" or "age eighteen" would suffice. Applying these …


Improve Recitals And Consideration Clauses With Plain Language, David Spratt Apr 2021

Improve Recitals And Consideration Clauses With Plain Language, David Spratt

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

As used in a "WHEREAS" clause, the term "whereas" simply means "considering that" or "that being the case." There is no legal effect to the word "whereas." It, like many other words used in standard contract boilerplate, is left over from some long-forgotten era of legal writing when lawyers used big words and legalese to impress clients with their intelligence and to justify their bills. These times have (or at least should have) passed. Today, documents must be accessible to those who use them: in most cases the clients for whom such documents are drafted.


Debunking The Efficacy Of Standard Contract Boilerplate: Part I, David Spratt Oct 2020

Debunking The Efficacy Of Standard Contract Boilerplate: Part I, David Spratt

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

Many contracts start with an introductory paragraph like this one: THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into said 5th day of June, 2020, by and between JOHN JONES (hereinafter referred to as "Jones") and MARY SMITH (hereafter referred to as "Smith"), hereinafter referred to together as "the parties." Where do I find my red pen? There are so many problems with this introduction, I might run out of ink.


Contracting For Healthcare: Price Terms In Hospital Admission Agreements, George A. Nation Iii Oct 2019

Contracting For Healthcare: Price Terms In Hospital Admission Agreements, George A. Nation Iii

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

This article discusses the application of contract law principles to the relationship between hospitals and patients to determine how much patients owe for the health care they receive. For patients who are covered by in-network health insurance the exact nature of the contract created with the hospital usually is not relevant to the patient’s financial obligation because the patient’s contract with the hospital is superseded by the contract between the patient’s health insurer and the hospital. Nevertheless, even in-network patients are financially impacted, via increased insurance premiums, by the contract analysis discussed here, and for the increasing number of patients …


Dismantling Democracy: Common Sense And The Contract Jurisprudence Of Frank Easterbrook, Deborah Post Mar 2016

Dismantling Democracy: Common Sense And The Contract Jurisprudence Of Frank Easterbrook, Deborah Post

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.


Cognition And Common Sense In Contract Law, Beverly Horsburgh, Andrew Cappel Mar 2016

Cognition And Common Sense In Contract Law, Beverly Horsburgh, Andrew Cappel

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.