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Ask HN: Writing a contract?

5 points by cadalac ↗ HN
Hi guys,

I will be starting contract work very soon and need to know the basics of contract law.

Does anyone know of any good resources for learning this stuff? Preferably Canadian resources if possible.

8 comments

[ 4.2 ms ] story [ 30.9 ms ] thread
macmac
Please don't try to write a contract yourself.
cadalac
Thanks for the advice. I'm still 50/50. Because I'm just starting I'm unlikely to be having large projects to start, so less is at risk.
macmac
If by size you mean price or hours delivered these are potentially very poor proxies for the risk associated with a project.
cadalac
Sigh... I have to agree with you. I should mention that I will be looking for work as a media composer. Copyright and royalties come into play, adding complexity to the contract.
macmac
That said you could probably save quite a bit on your lawyers bill if you use either of below as a starting point:

http://composition.org/clc-lcc/content/index.php/en/commissi...

http://www.screencomposers.ca/model-contract/

cadalac
Thanks! I came across the second one just a few minutes ago. It's probably the best starting point like you said. The first on is new to me and I saved a few others throughout the day. I'm looking them all over including some media companies ones that are rather unfair towards the composer.

PS. I really appreciate your help.

itsprofitbaron
You should have a lawyer draw up the contract for you but there are 3 things a contract requires:

1. An Offer

2. Acceptance

3. Mutual Exchange

The reason you should have a lawyer draw up the contract is because, things can become complicated when getting involved in the specifics of each case. For instance it’s possible to interpret words in several different ways which means several questions can be created from them and by hiring a lawyer you ensure that you avoid any misinterpretations & try to cover these hypothetical situations before they arise.

ScottWhigham
When you ask a question like this, you'll get a few types of reactions:

1) "What? That's absurd. You're an idiot for even thinking it. I'm an attorney and let me tell you - this is tough stuff and guys like me love guys like you."

2) "What? That's absurb. You're an idiot for even thinking it. My attorney is constantly telling me about how he loves to meet up with guys like you."

3) "Yeah, I do it and I've done it for x+ years without problems."

4) "I copy/paste off the internet. It works for me."

5) "I bought one of those kits and it worked fine for me."

Right or wrong, there's a certain stigma associated with the question.