Contracts may be written, oral, or contain a combination of written AND oral terms.

There is often considerable difficulty proving terms which are agreed orally, especially if a dispute ends up in a court or tribunal hearing where the existence of oral terms can often only be proven by evidence given by witnesses in a witness box and subject to cross examination by the other side’s solicitor or barrister.

The logical conclusion – you should rely on written terms of a contract and not any oral agreement. If you’re going to change the terms of any standard written contract – do so only in writing not by using or relying on phrases such as “she’ll be right”, “oh we won’t be relying on that”, “ignore that bit”, “you know what we mean **wink, wink, nudge, nudge**” etc.

Elements Of A Contract

All of these elements are strictly required and have been for a very long time:

• offer (e.g. a catalogue containing a price is an offer to sell at that price),
• acceptance (e.g. the placement of a purchase order contains acceptance of your offer to supply at a known price),
• communication of acceptance (e.g. if a customer takes your standard contract home with them and signs it, but never gives it to you, there is no contract that they can rely upon), and
• consideration which is the price stipulated by you and paid to you by the purchaser in exchange for your goods.

And If A Contract Is Breached?

The innocent party (i.e. who hasn’t breached the contract) could seek the following:

• damages – which is a sum of money designed to put them in the position they would have been in had the contract had not been breached, in other words to compensate them for losses,
• specific performance – which is an order or direction by a court or tribunal that the party who has breached the contract has to perform their end of the bargain, and
• an injunction – which can be used to prevent ongoing breaches (e.g. you are ordered to cease trading in breach of a non-competition clause in a franchise contract).

When To Get Advice

Solicitors are not cheap and therefore you should limit legal involvement where possible, especially concerning standard contracts.

You should seek legal advice:

• when drafting a:
  • standard employment contract, if you use one, or
  • standard contract with installers and customers,
• contracts involving high-value transactions, especially if the deal proposed contains some unusual terms, or terms you are uncertain about,
• if you are being sued, or if it someone is threatening to sue you and there is a significant amount of money involved,
• franchise agreements, partnership agreements, shareholders agreements or any other agreement that is proposed to you which is significant to your future business arrangements, and
• contracts for the purchase or sale of land (in accordance with the usual practice in your state) or other significant asset.

If in doubt – don’t be a “bush lawyer”! Seek legal advice and know where you stand.

This article appeared in issue 28 of “Timber Floors” magazine published by ATFA in February 2015.

How We Can Help

Quinn & Scattini Lawyers have assisted countless clients with contract preparation, contract reviews and contract disputes.

Our team has the expertise and experience required to get you the best possible outcome.

As one of our clients said “Invest in the best. Q&S“.

Contact Us

Get the best representation. Contact Quinn & Scattini Lawyers on 1800 999 529, email mail@rmold.newwebsite.live, or submit an enquiry below.

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This article is for your information and interest only. It is not intended to be comprehensive, and it does not constitute and must not be relied on as legal advice. You must seek specific advice tailored to your circumstances.