While I was in London in November, I recorded a 26-minute Practical Law Company video with Daphne Perry on how to make contracts clearer. (What else did you expect!) Go here; if you don’t have a Practical Law Company account, you’ll have to sign up for a free trial to view it. I’d be happy to hear what you think.
I signalled in this post that my task of compiling guidelines to the building blocks of contract language is largely done. But it will never be over, and here’s an example of that. I recently encountered the formula this agreement allows. That sent me to EDGAR, where I found the following examples: As a general form of contract, this Agreement … Read More
I divide my time between giving seminars and helping companies upgrade their contract templates. Here are some reasons why you might not want to hire me for the latter service. “Our templates are great.” Actually, it’s likely that in terms of what they say and how they say it, your templates are somewhere between a train wreck and in need … Read More
I routinely encounter the assumption that lawyers understand contracts better than others, and that the challenge is for lawyers to help everyone else by making contracts clearer. For me, that sets alarm bells ringing. Consider this in terms of my usual framework, which divides contract drafting into the tasks of determining what you say and determining how you say it. … Read More
I noticed that Tim Cummins, head of the International Association for Contract & Commercial Management (IACCM), mentioned in this post on his blog my recent post about GE Aviation’s template initiative (here). I’m pleased that Tim thought it worth his time to read it. Three thoughts: Some Stuff Is Complex Tim again lumps me with traditionalists, saying, in referring to … Read More
I find it convenient to divide the world of contract drafting into deciding what you want to say in a contract and deciding how you want to say it. They’re not distinct tasks, but rather two ends of a spectrum, with blurring in the middle, because how you say something can unexpectedly affect meaning. I focus on the how-to-say-it part, … Read More
[Updated 1 January 2018: Revised to reflect that the photo included in Bryan Garner’s tweet features not exceptions (as I originally stated) but conditional clauses.] I noticed an exchange between D.C. Toedt and Bryan Garner. Because it allows me to address a moderately interesting issue, namely where in a sentence you should put a conditional clause, I permit myself to wade … Read More
In this post I critique Shawn Burton’s article in the Harvard Business Review in terms of the guidance it offers on making your contracts clearer. But it also offers a useful reminder of the benefits of overhauling your templates top to bottom. Usually when I work on a template for a consulting client, I start by redrafting their version of … Read More
Just in time for Christmas, the January–February 2018 issue of the Harvard Business Review offers us a lump of coal in the form of an article entitled The Case for Plain-Language Contracts (here). It’s by Shawn Burton, general counsel of GE Aviation’s Business & General Aviation and Integrated Systems businesses. It describes “a three-plus-year effort to promote plain-language contracts at GE … Read More
I used to use King Arthur organic all-purpose flour for all my baking. Now I use King Arthur only for bread and pizza; for cakes and pastries, I’ve switched to Gold Medal all-purpose flour. Why? Because Stella Parks (@BraveTart) recommends Gold Medal. When it comes to baking sweet things, what @BraveTart recommends, I do, with a salute and a smile on … Read More
