Boilerplate contracts may be easy to find and convenient to use, but there are many legal issues that may come with them.
First off, what are boilerplate contracts? Also known as standard form or template contracts, you can often find them online for free, or for a modest fee.
Business owners are often tempted to use boilerplate contracts as a cost-saving measure, or as an alternative to hiring an attorney to draft a contract for you. But be careful. Here are three legal risks that you should watch out for when using a boilerplate contract:
Bottom line: If you are using a boilerplate contract, it’s still best to look over the actual terms of the contract carefully. You may also want to get an experienced contracts attorney to review (or change) the agreement to make sure it’s appropriate for your specific situation. Another option is to sign up for a personal legal plan like those offered by LegalStreet, which start at less than $13 a month. LegalStreet plans include attorney contract reviews (up to 10 pages) and unlimited, on-call access to local lawyers.
(Disclosure: LegalStreet and FindLaw.com are owned by the same company.)
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Related Resources:
- Things to Know About Employee Contracts (FindLaw’s Free Enterprise)
- Copying Boilerplate Language Leads to Attorney Sanction (FindLaw’s California Case Law Blog)
- Join the Discussion About Running a Business in Our Online Community (FindLaw Answers)
- Contracts Basics (FindLaw)
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