Business Law

During my many years in practice, I have come across various types of contracts. Some of the contracts I have seen, have been a short as one page, and longer than 100 pages. But the one thing that remains the same, is that you can tell the difference between a well-written contract and a poorly written contract. A well written contract is like reading a well written story. It starts with a beginning, which sets forth the names of the parties and the basic understanding of the parties as to why they are entering into this contract. It has a middle, which includes all of the terms and conditions of the contract. Therefore, like any well written story that captivates your attention, the details set forth in the middle of the contract are what is critical to captivate the reader’s attention as well as to clearly set forth the intent of the parties. Finally, it has a well written ending that usually sets forth how disputes are going to be resolved, where they are going to be resolv...

Living in today’s modern world, somewhere along the way you’re going to be asked to sign a lease agreement, either for where you live or for your business. The most common misperception I’ve seen among people is that all lease agreements are basically the same and are nonnegotiable. That could not be further from the truth. Almost every lease agreement is negotiable. Some lease agreements are very basic, utilizing an Allstate form (Allstate is a legal publisher in New Jersey that produces forms) with a rider attached to it with specific terms and conditions relating to the leased space. It’s easy to spot an Allstate form as it is stated right on the bottom of the document. In contrast, there is the custom lease agreement created by the landlord or their attorney. Also, depending on the age or credit rating of the individual leasing the space, you may see a space for a personal guarantee by a third-party. In my own life, I have recently experienced my daughter asking me to r...