Pasadena Business Contract Lawyer

Whether you are hiring, renting, beginning a partnership, or working with other parties, your business must be protected with the appropriate contracts in Pasadena, CA. That way, all parties involved know exactly what is expected of them, and the goals of your business are met. An attorney can ensure your contracts are legally enforceable and advocate for you if there is ever a breach of contract.

Robert G. Petrovich, Attorney at Law: Your Pasadena Business Contract Lawyers

When you work with an attorney for reviewing, drafting, or negotiating business contracts, you want a law firm with years of experience working with businesses. At Robert G. Petrovich, Attorney at Law, our attorneys have been working with businesses and business owners for more than three decades. Our goal is always to protect your current business’s interests and the long-term effects on the future of your company. We can provide you with:

• Drafting contracts. We can work directly with you to determine a legally binding contract that is in your interests and protects your business.
• Reviewing contracts. If you are presented with a contract, we can look over it to make sure there are no loopholes or inconsistent aspects before your signing.
• Negotiating contracts. We can work with you and another party to represent your business’s needs and priorities while negotiating an agreement.

We have experience with several types of commercial agreements, such as employment contracts, buy-sell agreements, and other contracts that determine the rights and responsibilities of the people you work with.

What Are Business Contracts?

A contract is an agreement, written or spoken, that is legally enforceable, and business contracts are particularly important agreements. At a minimum, the elements of a valid contract are:

• Mutual assent, such as one party willingly making an offer and the other party willingly accepting
• Capacity, where all parties are of legal age and competent to consent to the agreement
• Consideration, that something of value is exchanged
• Legality, that the contract is not regarding illegal activity or conduct

A contract must meet those requirements to be considered valid and enforceable by law. If one of the parties doesn’t follow the terms of a legally enforceable contract, they are in breach of contract.

Do I Need a Lawyer to Make a Business Contract?

An attorney isn’t required to create a lawful contract. As long as you feel confident that you meet the essential requirements of a valid contract, it is a lawful contract. Creating a legally binding contract, however, requires more in-depth knowledge of business law. Some lawful contracts won’t hold up in court. Working with a business contract attorney enables you to create secure and legally enforceable contracts. The more important the contract, the more essential it is that an experienced business attorney helps you draft, review, or negotiate the terms of the agreement to be sure it is legally enforceable and protects the goals of your business.

Understanding a Breach of Contract

A breach of contract is a failure of one or both parties to hold up their side of the contract, with no legal excuse. Legal excuses include failure of conditions, supervening events, or later agreements. Often, a breach of contract is settled through litigation. The awarded damages for a breach of contract may include:

• General damages, such as providing lost profit with a monetary settlement
• Consequential damages, which may cover attorney fees, the market value of the loss, or lost goodwill
• Reliance damages, or damages for what could have been gained with reasonable reliance
• Specific performance, where the person in breach of contract is ordered to perform a specific act, generally what they were meant to do according to the contract

These remedies may be court-ordered or determined through mediation. A breach of contract may include disputes over the contract terms, failure to pay for or deliver a good or service, and failure to meet a deadline.

How Much Does It Cost to Write a Legal Contract?

Though some business owners feel that hiring a business contract attorney is a great expense, creating contracts that are legally binding without an attorney is also an expense. If you don’t hire an attorney to look over, negotiate, or draft contracts, then you have to spend the time and money internally reviewing them. This can take longer internally than it would with business law attorneys. You would also have to ensure they are up to date with law changes and that they protect your business’s interests. This is time that could be better spent improving and growing your business.

How Much Does a Pasadena Business Contract Lawyer Cost?

A contract review could be anywhere from $300 to $1,000, while the more in-depth tasks of negotiating or drafting a contract could range up to $3,000 or more. The price of a business contract attorney ranges based on the industry you work in, how complex and long a contract you need, the regulations of your industry, and how many parties are involved in the contract. Hiring a more experienced attorney is also more expensive. You can discuss rates and fees with an attorney before you hire them.

What Questions Should I Ask a Business Contract Lawyer?

As you interview a business contract attorney, you should ask them questions such as:

• How much experience do you have working with my industry?
• Do you have experience with contracts in the areas I need?
• What commercial and business contracts do you handle primarily?

When drafting or negotiating a contract, you and your attorney will be determining what could go wrong when the contract is executed. A good attorney is detail-oriented and will consistently determine how to avoid loopholes.

Contact an Experienced Business Contract Attorney

Creating business contracts is the heart of many current businesses, but it’s not without its risks. To protect your interests when employing workers, partnering with businesses and contractors, or buying and selling goods and services, you need to be sure your business contracts are thorough. At Robert G. Petrovich, Attorney at Law, we believe it’s essential to protect and grow your business now and into the future. Contact our team today to see how we can protect your business’s interests and ensure your contracts are reliable.