

Ask HN: Writing a contract? - cadalac

Hi guys,<p>I will be starting contract work very soon and need to know the basics of contract law.<p>Does anyone know of any good resources for learning this stuff? Preferably Canadian resources if possible.
======
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.

------
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://composition.org/clc-
lcc/content/index.php/en/commissioning/model-contracts)

<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.

