Contracts
How contracts form, common clauses, breach, and remedies.
15 guides
- A client will not pay your invoice
When a client does not pay an invoice, the dispute usually turns on the agreement, whether the work was completed as promised, and whether the amount is due. Common responses include checking the contract, sending a formal payment demand, negotiating, using a small-claims or civil court, or pursuing enforcement after j
- Breach of contract: remedies and how they work
A breach of contract happens when a party fails to do something the contract requires, does it late, or performs inadequately. Your possible responses commonly include seeking damages, requiring performance, ending the contract in serious cases, or using negotiation, mediation, arbitration, or court proceedings.
- Commercial leases: key terms and how they work
A commercial lease rents space for business use: an office, a shop, a restaurant, or a warehouse. Commercial leases are governed mostly by their own terms and general contract and property law, with far fewer statutory protections than residential leases.
- Contractor agreements for freelancers
A contractor agreement sets out the work a freelancer will perform, the price and payment process, ownership of work product, confidentiality, and how either side can end the relationship. The written agreement is important, but the actual working relationship can determine whether the freelancer is legally an independ
- Demand letters: what they are and how they work
A demand letter is a clear, written request for payment, performance, correction of a problem, or another remedy before formal legal action. It can produce results by showing that your claim is organized and credible, but it does not guarantee payment and is not a substitute for filing a claim before a deadline expires
- Franchise agreements: what to check
A franchise agreement is a long-term business contract that controls how you use another business’s brand, systems, products, and support. Before signing, the main issues usually include total cost, operating restrictions, territory, renewal, termination, personal guarantees, and what information the franchisor provide
- Getting paid as a freelancer: late payment rights
A freelancer’s right to be paid usually comes from the contract with the client, including any agreement about the amount, due date, milestones, and expenses. If payment is late, possible remedies may include interest, compensation, collection costs, a court claim, or a statutory payment remedy, but the available optio
- Is a verbal agreement or text message a contract?
A verbal agreement can be a legally binding contract if the usual elements of a contract are present. Text messages can also create or help prove a contract, although unclear wording, missing terms, or messages sent during preliminary negotiations can make the result uncertain.
- Leasing commercial space
Leasing commercial space usually involves negotiating a lease that allocates rent, operating costs, repairs, insurance, permitted use, and risks between you and the landlord. Commercial tenants generally receive fewer protections than residential tenants, so the written lease and local law are especially important.
- Liability under a contract: breach, indemnification, and limitation-of-liability clauses
Whether a party is liable under a contract depends on what the contract promises, whether a promise was broken, and what the contract and the law say about the consequences. This guide explains how breach and damages generally work and how indemnification, limitation-of-liability, and liquidated-damages clauses change the default rules.
- Non-compete agreements and whether they are enforceable
A non-compete agreement limits whether you can work for a competing business, start a competing business, or use certain business relationships after your job ends. Enforceability depends heavily on location, the wording of the agreement, the employer’s legitimate business interests, and whether the restriction goes fa
- Non-disclosure agreements: how they work
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is most useful when it clearly identifies what information is confidential, why it is being shared, who may receive it, and what happens if it is misused. An NDA cannot protect information that is already public, independently developed, lawfully obtained elsewhere, or disclosed where t
- Noncompete agreements in the United States
A noncompete agreement restricts someone from working for a competitor or starting a competing business after a job or business relationship ends. Whether one is enforceable depends almost entirely on state law, which ranges from outright bans to case-by-case reasonableness review.
- Personal guarantees and when you are on the hook
A personal guarantee is a promise that you will pay or perform a business obligation if the business does not. You can therefore become personally responsible even when the business is a separate company or limited-liability entity.
- Reading a contract before you sign it
Reading a contract before signing helps you understand what you are agreeing to, what you must do, what the other party promises, and what happens if something goes wrong. A contract can include more than the main document, such as schedules, policies, online terms, invoices, and documents incorporated by reference.