Contract Lawyers for Commercial Agreements and Business Contract Law.

Written commercial agreements are not just important, they are absolutely crucial!

The main purpose of written agreements is to provide a clear framework to govern a particular commercial transaction or relationship – whether that is with your customers and suppliers, co-partners, co-shareholders or your funders.

A written agreement can also be used to allocate any risks from the trading relationship of the parties to a particular contract. A party to whom a specific risk is allocated by the contract may seek protection against it by insurance.

A well-drafted contract will seek to minimise the risks falling on you and direct as many of them as possible on to the other party to the contract. That said, a well-drafted contract will not be excessively one-sided to avoid being commercially damaging to your trading relationships and reputation.

Vague or uncertain agreements may not be a contract at all. Even if it is a legally binding contract, any uncertainty may lead to disputes and potentially costly litigation.

Uncertainty within a contract commonly arises for two reasons.

Firstly, disputes may arise if the law on a particular subject is unclear. A well-drafted contract will seek to avoid this legal uncertainty by including express provisions to minimise the scope of application of uncertain legal rules.

Secondly, disputes may arise if the language of the contract is unclear. The contract should be drafted in clear terms to avoid disputes, especially because a contract term which is unclear may be construed against the party relying on it.

As you might expect, there are a huge range of commercial agreement types, but some of the more common ones our legal specialists advise on include:

Commercial Agreements

• Supply contracts
• Website terms and conditions
• Computer and IT contracts
• Trading documentation, including standard terms and conditions for sale or purchase
• Distribution and agency agreements
• Franchise agreements
• Services and outsourcing agreements
• Confidentiality agreements
• Bespoke commercial agreements
• Joint venture agreements
• Data protection
• Licences, assignments, development agreements and service agreements
• Copyright and other intellectual property issues
• Public procurement

Partnerships

Limited Liability Partnerships

Partnership agreements and dissolutions

Banking and Security

Banking and finance documents, guarantees and other security documentation.

Company terms and conditions act as a contract between the business and it’s customers.  It is a fundamental document that provides the first line of protection against disputes, and should cover issues relating to copyright, conditions of use, limitation of liability, terms of delivery, the refund policy and more.  Terms and conditions contracts should be highly specific to your business and up to date with the legislation referenced within them.  Our Business Contract Lawyers will take the time to understand your business and the environment in which you operate, so ensure that your terms and conditions document is clear, practical and effective should things go wrong.

Our Commercial Contract Law Team can draw up new terms and conditions or review and amend existing Ts and Cs for businesses throughout Shropshire, Herefordshire, Mid Wales and North Wales.