Even with the best laid plans, not all Houston businesses run smoothly all the time. At one time or another, you may face challenges that can have an adverse effect on the long-term health of your business. Contract disputes can be particularly difficult because it is often hard to predict their resolutions. At The Jackson Law Firm, we often consult with people who are involved in such disputes. In this post, we will discuss some guidelines you can take as a business owner to help avoid contract disputes.
Since most business agreements rely on contracts to spell out the terms, it is important for you to use caution when signing them. You will want to ensure that the terms of the agreement are clearly spelled out and that you fully understand them. Additionally, it can be helpful to ensure the contract includes the specific consequences that you, or the other party, will meet if you do not fulfill your contractual obligations.
In addition to including the contract’s terms and the consequences for failing to fulfill them, it can also be helpful to include provisions for status reviews and early terminations. Often, disputes arise because of missed deadlines or other issues. In some cases, litigation may be avoided if those involved in the contracts communicated with each other. Furthermore, situations, such as the development of new technology or financial challenges, may arise which may lead to one party or the other backing out of a contract. As such, allowing for an early termination under certain circumstances may help to avoid a dispute.
Beyond ensuring that a contract is thorough before signing it, it can also be useful to use a notary public. Sometimes when a contract dispute occurs, one party or the other may deny that they signed the contract. Having the important signatures on your contract notarized may help to ensure that the other parties in your business agreement cannot make such denials, according to Entrepreneur magazine.
To learn more about legal disputes involving contracts, please visit our contract disputes page.