St. Petersburg Contract Drafting Attorney
Contracts Lawyers Serving Clients in St. Petersburg, Florida
Successful businesses in St. Petersburg, Florida will need to enter into a variety of contracts with other businesses, employees, customers and clients, and other parties. The process of drafting these contracts can be complicated, especially given that many of them require experience handling business issues that reach into other areas of the law, such as entity formation laws in Florida, state and federal employment law, construction law, and real estate law. A St. Petersburg contract drafting attorney can begin working with your business today.
What is a Contract?
While it might seem like a question with an obvious answer, if you own a business or are thinking about starting a business, it is important to understand what elements are necessary to have a valid contract. In brief, a contact is an agreement that exists between two people or entities (such as a business). In a contract, one of those parties agrees to provide either a service or goods, for which the other party agrees to provide compensation or other kinds of goods or services in exchange. In other words, if you have two parties (Party A and Party B), Party A agrees to provide a good or service in exchange for something from Party B.
Elements of a Legally Binding Contract in St. Petersburg
Generally speaking, valid, enforceable contracts must have three elements:
- An offer;
- Acceptance of the offer; and
- Consideration, which is something of value that is exchanged between the parties.
There are some types of contracts that are unenforceable in Florida even when these elements exist (e.g., because one of the parties did not have capacity due to age or mental health, or the terms of the contract go against public policy or are unlawful). Otherwise, most contracts with these elements will be enforceable. It is important to know that Florida allows both written and oral contracts to be enforced.
Types of Contract Drafting for St. Petersburg, Florida Businesses
At Saady & Saxe, P.A., we assist clients in Florida by drafting many different types of business contracts, including but not limited to the following:
- Employment contracts;
- Non-compete agreements or covenants;
- Non-disclosure agreements;
- Purchasing agreements;
- Commercial leases;
- Sales contracts; and
- Arbitration agreements.
By adding certain clauses into certain business contracts, such as arbitration agreements or non-disclosure agreements, you can help to control the process if a breach of contract occurs.
Cooling Off Period Under Florida Law
In some cases, Florida law allows what is known as a “cooling off” period. A cooling off period allows a party that entered into a contract to cancel the contract. While Florida does not automatically give anyone the right to cancel a valid and enforceable contract, situations involving certain types of sales and consumer services may give a party a “cooling off” period in which that party can decide to cancel the contract without penalty.
A Florida contract lawyer can speak with you about the limitations of the cooling off period and how you can avoid having a contract canceled.
Contact a St. Petersburg Contracts Attorney Today
Your business should have an experienced St. Petersburg contracts attorney to assist with drafting and reviewing the various agreements necessary to run your company. From commercial lease agreements to employment agreements, our St. Petersburg contracts lawyers can draft the contracts your business needs. Contact Saady & Saxe, P.A. today to learn more about how we serve businesses in the St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida areas.
