Know the Fine Points of Fine Print
By Nina Kaufman, Esq.Not knowing the fine print in your contracts could take a costly bite out of your business.
Yes, I know you’re a busy business owner.
Yes, contracts can be tedious.
And, yes, I know that sometimes the font used on these documents requires an electron microscope to read it properly.
But as a business owner, the law assumes you’ve read the contracts you’ve signed and understood their terms–even if you didn’t.
That’s why you’ll want to know and understand the “fine print” of an agreement–whether you created the agreement or you received someone else’s agreement — where you may not have the leverage to change it.
To use a food metaphor, if your payment terms and deliverables are the “steak and potatoes,” the fine print is the “veg.” Maybe not as hearty or robust as the meat, but it can have a profound effect on the whole plate.
Let’s look at a few real-life examples of how fine print had a profound impact on a small business’s bottom line.
FORCE MAJEURE. Literally, this means “major force.”
Force majeure addresses situations where something completely out of your control got in the way of your ability to do what you promised under a contract. That could be a fire or flood that destroyed your premises. Or a labor strike.
Force majeure provisions in an agreement can give you a valid excuse for not performing in a timely manner–or at all. Marian, a financial advisor, had this term in her lease. She needed it on Sept. 11, 2001, when she was forced to evacuate her office building and, being so close to Ground Zero, couldn’t re-enter her premises for more than four months. By being able to cancel certain contracts (without, technically, “breaching” them), she saved tens of thousands of dollars.
JURISDICTION. Among other things, jurisdiction can refer to the geographic area where a case will be brought. This can make a huge difference to your pocketbook.
Bonnie was a marketing strategist, hot to do business with a Fortune 500 company. She signed the agreement, performed the services, and then got stiffed. She marched into my office, ready to sue . . . until I pointed out the jurisdiction clause in the contract required her to bring her lawsuit in Denver, where the Fortune 500 company had its headquarters. She would have had to find local counsel there, and incur the costs of schlepping back and forth from New York–all of which would severely undercut her profit margin on any legal recovery.
ATTORNEYS’ FEES. Under American law, the expectation is that each side will pay its own attorneys’ fees if a case goes to court. For small businesses like Bonnie’s that need to enforce their rights, this could be cost-prohibitive. Courts generally won’t award you legal fees in contract disputes unless you specifically provide for it in your agreement.
But if you have it, you can get it. This was a great boon for Theresa, who needed to sue her ex-business partner. Her partnership agreement included an attorneys’ fees provision, which provided a great deal of leverage in settlement negotiations.
There are other terms you may run into, depending on your situation: indemnification, releases, injunctive relief, waivers, assignment, liquidated damages — to rattle off just a little of the legalese.
In the rush to get the deal done, business owners tend to gloss over the fine print terms.
Don’t.
Turn them over to someone who enjoys reading arcane language and ruining her eyesight (your attorney).
If you liked what you read, watch our video to see if Kaufman Business Law is a good fit for you.
