A core determinant of business success: a well-executed contract

In Business Organizations by Coolidge Wall

Diverse business clients in Ohio, as well as nationally and across the globe, that the proven attorneys of Dayton-based Coolidge Wall — one of Ohio’s longest-tenured law firms — have successfully represented over many decades centrally share at least one important attribute.

And that is this, as noted on a relevant page of our firm’s website: a “good contract.”

That likely seems a flat truism to most of our readers, with it being an obvious fact that a successful business relationship between two or more entities is unlikely to ensue and sustain itself in the absence of a clear and comprehensive written understanding among all parties.

That being said, though, it is not always easy to define the elements that centrally drive an agreement and interact in such a manner as to promote business success.

Which in turn reasonably begs the question: What in fact is a good contract?

We note on our site that, for starters, an agreement that optimally puts parties in a position to succeed is necessarily “thorough and unambiguous.” Material terms need to be defined, with all important expectations of the signatories being sufficiently spelled out. Importantly, and conceding that not every matter that materializes is foreseeable and can be addressed in written form, a strong contract will put into place mechanisms/processes for dealing with business risk and uncertainty.

A proven attorney’s contract-related input often meaningfully commences from an early point in business negotiations, helping parties negotiate key points and provisions. And that focus is necessarily sustained through contract review, final drafting, periodic amendment as needed, and in the event that a dispute might ultimately occur, as is of course the case occasionally in the business world.

We state from experience and long-applied client advocacy that “a clear and comprehensive contract can be a boon to nearly any type of business transaction.”

We welcome contract-related questions to the firm, as well as the opportunity to apply our professional acumen on behalf of business clients in a manner that truly promotes their best interests.