While it may take years to learn all the nuances and potential pitfalls involved in drafting a legal document, here are a few tips that may help new attorneys avoid an embarrassing conversation about their drafting:
Don’t Remove All Formal Language
Many legal documents contain unnecessarily formal language that clouds rather than clarifies the documents’ meaning. While there is good reason to reduce such language, think twice before removing some such phrases. For example, the following appears in many contracts in some form: “for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged, and with the intent to be legally bound.” Although this may sound like an unnecessary flourish, under the Pennsylvania Uniform Written Obligations Act, a signed contract “shall not be invalid or unenforceable for lack of consideration, if the writing also contains an additional express statement, in any form of language, that the signer intends to be legally bound.” While there are a few limited exceptions to this rule, nearly all contracts in Pennsylvania should contain similar language.
Keep Numbers Consistent
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