The Language of Contracts (Paperback)

Mr Ben Staveley

ISBN 10: 1526530309 / ISBN 13: 9781526530301

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London, 2024

About this Item

Paperback. How can drafters of English law contracts use language to insulate their contracts from the risk of an embarrassing and expensive dispute?This book aims to answer that question. It helps drafters to be clear at every level: to reflect a logical structure, to make clear how provisions work coherently alongside one another, and to make the intended meaning of the contract language so clear that no party could be tempted to argue that it means something else. Besides illustrating technical drafting techniques, the book prompts drafters to peer into an essentially unknowable future, so that their contracts operate resiliently if the unexpected happens. It is rooted in a study of how judges analyse language in the waves of contract dispute cases that reach the courts every year.The book answers questions such as:- What are the most common drafting traps and how can drafters avoid falling into them?- How can drafters eliminate uncertainties as to how different provisions work together, so that the contract works coherently as a whole?- What questions should drafters ask themselves to make sure their contracts cover all the ground they need to?The book distils the modern case law, and the rules of English grammar, into a checklist of recommendations for the busy practising drafter.This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's Company and Commercial Law online service. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781526530301

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Language of Contracts (Paperback)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1526530309
• ISBN 13: 9781526530301
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

How can drafters of English law contracts use language to insulate their contracts from the risk of an embarrassing and expensive dispute?

This book aims to answer that question. It helps drafters to be clear at every level: to reflect a logical structure, to make clear how provisions work coherently alongside one another, and to make the intended meaning of the contract language so clear that no party could be tempted to argue that it means something else.

Besides illustrating technical drafting techniques, the book prompts drafters to peer into an essentially unknowable future, so that their contracts operate resiliently if the unexpected happens. It is rooted in a study of how judges analyse language in the waves of contract dispute cases that reach the courts every year.

The book answers questions such as:
- What are the most common drafting traps and how can drafters avoid falling into them?
- How can drafters eliminate uncertainties as to how different provisions work together, so that the contract works coherently as a whole?
- What questions should drafters ask themselves to make sure their contracts cover all the ground they need to?

The book distils the modern case law, and the rules of English grammar, into a checklist of recommendations for the busy practising drafter.

This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's Company and Commercial Law online service.

About the Author

Ben Staveley was educated at Wisbech Grammar School and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He joined a leading international law firm and became a partner in 1987. Since retiring from practice at the firm in 2002 he has taught writing and drafting skills at law firms and at various universities. In 2017 he self-published a short book on grammar: Faultless Grammar: the busy lawyer's reminder guide. This is his second book. Married with five mostly grown-up children, Ben lives in Putney.