People don’t read contracts

(and I can’t blame them)

In a survey of over 1,000 consumers and 274 small business owners in the U.S., 70% of consumers and 62% of business owners admitted to signing contracts without reading them.

The top reason stated was that contracts are too long and difficult to understand.

A more thoughtful contract design is one part of the solution to the “no-reading problem” and it can be done by anyone.

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(Note: this is not a place to seek legal help for a specific problem. If youneed legal services, please schedule a free consultation with our attorney.)

Non-legal tricks to make contracts better

(without a lawyer)

Better contract design and formatting can make all the difference for the reading experience of the contract’s intended users. Try these next time:

     Leave lots of white space on the page; visually separate paragraphs and sections.

     Group contract clauses intuitively and use clear headings.

     Number each paragraph for easy reference.

     Break up long paragraphs and sentences.

     Anytime there’s a list, use bullet points or other visual cues.

     Don’t put full sentences in all caps– that will actually make the reader less likely to read it; use bold or larger print to draw special attention.

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See you next month

P.S. from Nadia: Contract design is a largely unknown and underrated art and you have not heard the last of it. Just wait until you see what’s possible!