What Makes a Contract Legally Binding?

I’m back with another quick answer to one of your legal questions for your online business!

But you know what I always say…

I can only A if you supply the Qs. So it’s time for you to hit “reply” and let me know:

what’s 1 legal question you want me to answer for you about your online business?

Hit “reply” – this is a 2-way street around these email parts. 🤠

(OK here’s the deal – if you don’t have a question right now, hit ‘reply’ and let me know if you like my emails and why!)

Let’s jump into our legal Q&A sesh! 👇

What Makes a Contract Legally Binding?

The Question // Marit asks,

Do contracts need to be looked over/written by an attorney to be legally binding?

The Answer //

Such a good question, Marit! So on the one hand…

No, contracts don’t need to be looked over or written by an attorney to be legally binding.

Meaning contracts can be written by anyone. There’s nothing particularly unique about an attorney drafting or reviewing one that makes it enforceable.

On the other hand, contracts that aren’t written by an attorney (at any point) don’t tend to be super….good. And that’s what ends up making them not legally binding (aka, unenforceable).

They tend to be missing key provisions you need, not be organized or clear (a requirement for good enforcement), and they also don’t tend to be sent/signed correctly (an absolute must to be legally binding).

I have a podcast episode for you all about how to make sure your contracts are legally binding — including how to send/sign correctly, what they need to say/not say, etc.

This is also why I offer legal contract templates that you can download, fill out and use as your own! You can shop all of my legal templates here.

Hope this was helpful! Off to see if you’ve replied yet to let me know 🙂

PS: Should You Copyright That? One of the only ways to protect your content is to copyright it. But how do you decide what to actually copyright? I’ll tell you in <10 mins in this new episode of On Your Terms!

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