If money is the lifeblood of business, contracts are the arteries that help carry it around the commercial body. Anyone in business is liable to have to deal with business contracts, but few are trained to do so. Even those that are trained may have experience in limited areas or in the distant past. But the right contract can make a vital difference, not just to recording and enforcing, if need be, the contract terms, but also in ensuring the agreement deals with the real issues and approaches them in a practical way. Finding help in this area is not easy, as the market tends to offer little between serious academic tomes on the one hand and student summaries geared to exams on the other. Business Contracts Handbook fills that gap, covering both the basics of contract law in an accessible style and using a thoroughly practical approach to understanding and negotiating the key terms in a business contract. If you have little prior knowledge, Charles Boundy's many years of experience in drafting and providing guidance on business agreements of all kinds will enable you to acquire a working background quickly. If you have years of experience you will still benefit from a checklist, a reminder of what is important and why, and an easy reference to up-to-date language and drafting - there is always more to learn.
Biography
Charles Boundy has handled a broad range of business contracts as a senior partner in a major London law practice and latterly as Group Legal Director of leading consumer book publishers, Random House. He holds a Cambridge law degree and an MPhil in Critical Management from Lancaster University Management School. He published a previous book on contract law with Gower in 1998 and has also been extensively involved in training and lecturing.
'If people who handle contracts in business read this book there would be fewer disputes over interpretation and fewer cases that unnecessarily come to court.’ - John Baldwin, Senior QC 'Everything, and more, that you could need to know about any form of contract negotiation and drafting, I can’t think of a situation that the book doesn’t cover: superb.' - Carole Blake, leading literary agent (Blake Friedmann Literary) and author of From Pitch to Publication ’An easy-to-read reference guide, it is ideal as a handy desktop aid, both for procurement professionals and those with a wider business remit...This book is well constructed and contains a wealth of very useful information...I would recommend this book as a useful reference guide for purchasing professionals.’ - Philip Dews, www.supplymanagement.com
