2022年整理—美国资深律师21世纪写合同的某某某···

1、资深律师经历：二十一世纪写好合同的五十招英汉对照 James. Martin 资深律师经历：二十一世纪写好合同的五十招英汉对照 James. Martin FIFTY TIPS FOR WRITING THE 21ST CENTURY CONTRACT THAT STAYS OUT OF COURT二十一世纪写好合同的五十招 James.Martin译者：胡清平Published in The Florida Bar Journal, Nov. 2000本文于2000年11月发表于罗里达州的律师杂志上Note: This article is for background purposes o

2、nly and is not intended as legal advice.作者注：本文仅供参考并不旨在提供法律译者注：翻译本文并未得到原作者同意故译文仅供学习和研究使用.-Wele to the 21st Century. Where practicing law requires us to don the garb of puters and the Internet. And where litigation is as costly as ever. Lawyer bills running $10,000 a month are not unusual in a hotly c

3、ontested brea of contract lawsuit. With every , phrase and sentence carrying the potential for winning or losing, the stakes are high. Simple logic, therefore, directs us to cautious and thoughtful drafting.新世纪的到来要求我们在法律理中应该多用电脑和互联网不过诉讼本钱还是那么地高面对日益竞争剧烈的违约诉讼律师每月开出1万美元的账单也是常有的事。合同中的每一个字每一个词每一句话都意味着潜在的

4、输或赢换句话说押在这上面下的注也很大所以在起草合同时要把握两条原那么：小心慎重和深思熟虑。Drafting contracts is actually one of the simple pleasures of practicing law. Just 3 years ago at this Convention I presented 50 tips for contract writing. This article dates those tips in the context of our new tools and abilities. Following these tips c

5、ould result in your writing a contract so clear no one will want to litigate it, saving your client from the trials and tribulations of litigation, truly a good reason to write the contract that stays out of court.然而起草合同确实又是法律理中一件有意思的事儿。大约三年前也是在这样一个会议上我提出了合同起草的50招。本文在那些招数的根底上结合一些新的工具和技能推出了下面这个新版本,但愿

6、它们能帮助你起草无可挑剔的合同让你的客户免受诉讼的困扰。These tips apply to writing all kinds of agreements: office leases, real estate contracts, sales agreements, employment contracts, equipment leases, prential agreements. They even apply to stipulations and settlements in litigation, where you want an agreement so clear th

7、at it avoids future litigation. Wherever clarity and simplicity are important, these tips will guide you there. The Appendix provides a few sample forms to illustrate these tips.这些招数适用于各种合同比方办公租赁合同、不动产合同、买卖合同、劳动合同、设备租赁合同、婚前协议。同样假设你不想让你在诉讼中所起草的和解条款与协议再起争议的话也可以参考一下这些招数。另外通过理解这些招数你就会明白起草合同明晰、简明是多么地重要。本

8、文的附录提供了一些简单的法律文书范本-这将有助于你理解这些招数。Before You Write the First 第一局部：在动笔之前1. Ask your client to list the deal points. This can be in the form of a list, outline or narration. Doing this will help the client focus on the terms of the agreement.1.要求你的客户列出合同交易的要点也可以说是合同的、或概述。这一招首先帮助你的客户弄清合同的重点所在。2. Engage y

9、our client in "what if" scenarios. A good contract will anticipate many possible factual situations and express the parties' understanding in case those facts arise. Talking to your client about this will generate many issues you may not otherwise consider.2.让你的客户提供一些假设可能发生的情况。好的合同不仅可以

10、预见到许多可能发生的情况而且还能清楚地描绘出发生这些情况后合同双方的立场。和客户聊这些情况将有助于你发现一些你可能没有考虑到的问题。3. Ask your client for a similar contract. Frequently, clients have had similar transactions in the past or they have access to contracts for similar transactions.3.恳求你的客户提供类似的合同。通常情况下客户都保存着过去的交易记录或者是类似合同。4. Sear you从书中或者是上获取合同范本。典型的合

11、同范本在一些范例书中都可能找到：比方,西律文书全国版罗里达州文书刊另外在有些文和罗里达州律师协会的法律继续教育出版物中也可以找到一些。起草合同时你可以把这些范本当做原始资料利用其中某些典型的条款和措词。更为方便的是许多文和书中的合同范本都有电子文本储存在磁盘或中。6. Don't let your client sign a letter of intent without this ing. Sometimes clients are anxious to sign something to show good faith before the contract is prepare

12、d. A properly ed letter of intent is useful at su times. Just be sure that the letter of intent clearly states that it is not a contract, but that it is merely an outline of possible terms for discussion purposes. See Appendix C.6.假设没有特别申明不要让你的客户在意向书上签字。有时候在合同未准备好之前客户为了表示诚意往往急于签署某些东西当然在这种情况下假设客户急于签署

13、的是有特别申明的意向书这也是可以的但一定要注明：本意向书并非合同只是双方为了更好地沟通协商而拟定的对将来条款的概述。类似意向书的范例见附录C。Writing that First 第二局部：开场起草合同7. Start with a simple, generic contract form. The form in Appendix A is su a form. It provides a solid starting point for the structure of the contract. Like a house, a contract must have a good, so

14、lid foundation.7.从简单、典型的合同入手。附录A就是一个简单、典型的合同它提供了一个合同的根本支架。像房子一样一个合同必须有一个结实的根基。8. State the correct legal names of the parties in the first paragraph. As obvious as this is, it is one of the most mon problems in contracts. For individuals, include full first and last name, and middle initials if avai

15、lable, and other identifying information, if appropriate, su as Jr., M.D., etc. For corporations, eck with the Secretary of State where incorporated.8.在合同的第一段要写清楚双方的名称。这是个简单而又不得不引起重视的问题。假设是个人要写清姓和名,中间有大写字母和其他身份信息的也要注明例如：jr.,M.D,等等；假设是为防止弄错写名称时可以到注册地的相应机构去核对一下。9. Identify the parties by nicknames. Gi

16、ving ea party a nickname in the first paragraph will make the contract easier to read. For example, James W. Martin would be nicknamed "Martin."9.确定合同双方的别称简称。为便于阅读一般要在合同的第一段为双方弄一个别称如：将詹姆士.马丁简写为"马丁"。10. Be careful when using legal terms for nicknames. Do not use "Contractor&q

17、uot; as a nickname unless that party is legally a contractor. Do not use "Agent" unless you intend for that party to be an agent, and if you do, then you better specify the scope of authority and other agency issues to avoid future disagreements.10.使用法定术语作为双方当事人的别称时要小心。除非一方当事人在法定上就是承包人否那么不

18、要将"承包人"作为其别称。同样除非你想让一方当事人成为法定上的代理人否那么不要称其为"代理人"假设坚持要用明确一下代理范围并找到其他可以防止将来争执的方案。11. Include a blank for the date in the first paragraph. Putting the date in the first paragraph makes it easy to find after the contract is signed. It also makes it easy to describe the contract in oth

19、er documents in a precise way, su as the "December 20, 2000, Contract for Sale of Real Estate."11.在合同的第一段要为书写签约时间留下空格。把签约时间放在第一段当合同签署后你就可以很容易地找到它而且这样做还可以给你在其他相关中准确地描绘这个合同提供帮助范例如：不动产买卖合同订立于2000年12月20日12. Include to provide background. Recitals are the "whereas" clauses that preced

20、e the body of a contract. They provide a simple way to bring the contract's reader (party, judge or jury) to speed on what the contract is about, who the parties are, why they are signing a contract, etc. The first paragraph in the body of the contract can incorporate the recitals by reference a

21、nd state that they are true and correct. This will avoid a later argument as to whether or not the recitals are a legally binding part of the contract.12.书写引述语。引述语是指那些放在合同主体前面的"鉴于"条款。书写此类条款的目的是为了让读者通常指合同双方法官陪审团很快地理解到合同的主要内容是合同双方是谁以及他们为签订合同等等。当然合同主体的第一段也可以加上引述语并陈述其是准确的假设这样做了合同双方将来就不会争执：引述语作

22、为合同的一局部是否具有法律效力？13. Outline the contract by writing out and underlining paragraph headings in their logical order. The paragraphs should flow in logical, organized fashion. It is not necessary to write them all at once; you can write them as you think of them. Try to gro related concepts in the same

23、 paragraphs or in adjacent paragraphs. For example, write an employment contract's initial paragraph headings like this:Recitals.Employment.Duties.Term.pensation.13.按逻辑顺序列出合同段落的标题词.合同的段落是按一定的逻辑顺序组织起来的当然你并不需要一下子列出所有段落的标题词想到多少就写多少不过这些标题词要力求总结出每个段落或相关段落的内容。比方：撰写劳动合同时列出的标题词就像下面这些：引述语聘用职责限赔偿14. plete

24、 ea paragraph by writing the contract terms that apply to that paragraph. This is simple. You learned this in elementary sool. Just explain in s what the parties agree to do or not do paragraph by paragraph.14.在撰写每一段时要注意内容集中不要东拉西扯是的这很简单你可能上小学时就学过但我还是要提醒你要集中火力一段一段地分别说明合同双方同意做不同意做。15. Keep a pad at ha

25、nd to remember clauses to add. It is normal to think of additional clauses, ing and issues while writing a contract. Jot these down on a pad as you write; they are easily forgotten. Also keep your client's outline and other forms in front of you as you write, and eck off items as you write them.

26、15.放一个便笺簿在手边以便记下需要添加的条款。在书写合同的同时你可能随时会想到一些需要添加条款、措词和问题要尽快记在便笺簿上因为他们太容易忘了。另外你将客户列出的要点和一些类似的合同范本也放在眼前以便在书写过程中随时查对。16. Repeat yourself only when repetition is necessary to improve clarity. Ambiguity is created by saying the same thing more than once; it is almost impossible to say it twice without crea

27、ting ambiguity. Only if the concept is a difficult one should you write it in more than one way. In addition, if you use an example to clarify a difficult concept or formula, be sure that all possible meanings are considered and that the example is accurate and consistent with the concept as ed.16.除

28、非是为了更明晰地说明问题否那么不要在合同中重复陈述某个内容。将一个来回地说很容易让人模棱两可。假设你将一个概念重复地解释那理解起来就更有困难。另外假设你想通过一个例子来说明一个难以理解的概念或规那么时一定要考虑到其所有的含义、这个例子的准确性以及它和概念的相符性。What to Wat Out for When Writing第三局部：撰写时的本卷须知17. Title it "Contract." Do not leave this one to ance. If your client wants a contract, call it a contract. A ju

29、dge now sitting on the federal ben once ruled that a document entitled "Proposal" was not a contract even though signed by both parties. The lesson learned is, "Say what you mean." If you intend the document to be a legally binding contract, use the "Contract" in the ti

30、tle.17.标题上注明"合同"两字。不要为碰运气而忽略这个。假设你的客户需要合同就要注明是合同。一个仍在联邦里任职的法官就曾经裁定：有双方签字但标有"建议书"的并非合同。这给我们的教训就是你想就应该说。假设你想让你的成为具有法律效力的合同就要在标题中注明"合同"字样。18. Write in short sentences. Short sentences are easier to understand than long ones.18.写短句子因为短句子比长句子让人更容易理解。19. Write in active tense

31、, rather than passive. Active tense sentences are shorter and use s more efficiently, and their meaning is more apparent. Example of active: "Sellers shall sell the Property to Buyer." Example of passive: "The Property shall be sold to Buyer by Seller."19.用主动语态而不用被动语态。相对而言主动语态的句子

32、更简短措词更精练表达更明白。还是让我们来来看一个例子吧主动语态的句子：卖方将把此物卖给买方;被动语态的句子：此物将被卖方卖给买方。20. Don't use the "biweekly." It has two meanings: twice a week and every other week. The same applies to "bimonthly." Instead, write "every other week" or "twice a week."20.不要用“双周之类的词因为这有可能产

33、生歧义-是两周还是每隔一周？类似的词还有"双月",所以这样写:"两周"或"每隔一周"。21. Don't say things like "active termites and organis". Avoid ambiguity by writing either "active termites and active organis" or "organis and active termites." When adding a modifier like &qu

34、ot;active" before a pound of nouns like "termites and organis", be sure to clarify whether you intend the modifier to apply to both nouns or just the first one. If you intend it to apply to both, use parallel construction and write the modifier in front of ea noun. If you intend it to

35、 apply to just one noun, place that one noun at the end of the list and the modifier directly in front of it.21.不要说"活动着的白蚁和有机体"之类的话为了防止模棱两可这样写：“活动着的白蚁和活动着的有机体或是“白蚁和活动着的有机体。当一组名词如"白蚁和有机体"前有一个修饰语如"活动着的"时你一定要弄清楚这个修饰语是修饰两个名词还是仅仅修饰第一个名词。假设是修饰两个词可以用排比的手法分别在这两个词之前加上修饰语假设你只想修饰一

36、个名词那么你就应该把这个词放在这组词的最后然后在它的前面加上修饰语。22. Don't say "Lessor" and "Lessee." These are bad nicknames for a lease because they are easily reversed or mistyped. Use "Landlord" and "Tenant" instead. The same applies to lienor and lienee, mortgagor and mortgagee, gr

37、antor and grantee, licensor and licensee, party A and party B. This is where you can use your creativity to e with a different nickname for a party, as long as you use it consistently throughout the contract.22.不要说“出租人和“承租人。这对一个租赁合同来说是些不好的别称因为他们容易被颠倒或者出现打印错误。可以用“房东和“房客来代替他们。同样在合同中也不要说留置权人和留置人抵押权人和抵押

38、人保证人和被保证人容许人和被容许人当事人A和当事人B.到底说这就要看你驾驭语言的才能了不过要把握的一条原那么即在整个合同中对合同一方只能用一个别称。23. Wat out when using "herein." Does "wherever used herein" mean anywhere in the contract or anywhere in the paragraph? Clarify this ambiguity if it matters.23.使用术语“本文herein也可译为“在这里时要留神。为了防止模糊不清使用“本文时特别申明一

39、下“本文是指整个合同还是指其所在的某一段落。24. Write numbers as both s and numerals: ten (10). This will reduce the ance for errors.24.写数目时要文字和阿拉伯数字并用如：拾10。这将减少一些不经意的错误。25. When you write "including" consider adding "but not limited to." Unless you intend the list to be all-inclusive, you had better

40、clarify your intent that it is merely an example.25.假设你想用"包括"这个词就要考虑在其后加上"但不限于."的分句。除非你可以列出所有被包括的项否那么用"但不限于."的分句来说明你只是想举个例子。26. Don't rely on the rules of grammar. The rules of grammar that you learned in sool are not universal. The judge or jury interpreting the me

41、aning of your contract may have learned different rules. Write the contract so that no matter what rules they learned, the contract is clear and unambiguous. Follow this test for clear writing: Remove all periods and mas, then read it. oosing the right s and placing them in the right place makes the

42、 writing clear without punctuation.26.不要依赖于语法规那么。那些你在学校里得到的语法规那么并不是放之四海而皆准的东西因为有权利来解释此合同的法官或陪审团成员学的语法规那么可能和你学的不一样但不学的是规那么撰写合同都要遵循一个根本原那么：简洁、明确。检测你写的东西是否到达这个要求有个好那就是去掉所有的句和逗然后去读它。在没有标点符的情况下选择正确的词语放在正确的位置上这将使你写出来的东西更简明更流畅。27. Don't be creative with s. Contract writing is not creative writing and i

43、s not meant to provoke reflective thoughts or controversies about nuances of meaning. Contract writing is clear, direct and precise. Therefore, use mon s and mon meanings. Write for the mon man and the mon woman.27.不要创造词语。合同文书不是创造性的作品也就不能因为意思的细微差异而引起考虑或争。合同文书应该是明晰、直接而准确的。因此要使用普通的词语,表达普通的意思为普通人撰写合同。2

44、8. Be consistent in using s. If you refer to the subject matter of a sales contract as "goods" use that term throughout the contract; do not alternately call them "goods" and "items." Maintaining consistency is more important than avoiding repetition. Don't worry ab

45、out putting the reader to sleep; worry about the opposing lawyer a year from now hunting for ambiguities to get your contract into court.28.用词一致。在一份销售合同中假设你想用“货物来指整个合同的标的物就不要时而称它们为“货物时而又改称它们为“。保持用词一致性比防止重复更加重要。不要担忧这会让读者打瞌睡；你应该提防的是对方律师会因为模糊不清的合同而将你告上法庭。29. Be consistent in grammar and punctuation. Th

46、e rules of grammar and punctuation you learned may differ from others, but you had better be consistent in your use of them. Be aware of su things as where you put ending quote marks, whether you place mas after years and states, and similar variations in style.29.在文法和标点符上保持一致。你可能学过许多不同类的文法和标点符规那么但在

47、使用它们时保持一致。要特别注意句末的引、时间和地点之后的逗以及文风的相似性。30. Consider including oice of law, venue selection, and attorneys fee clauses. If your contract gets litigated, you might as well give your client some "ammunition" for the fight. Examples of these clauses appear in Appendices A and C.30.可以在合同中参加准据法、审

48、讯地、律师费等条款。有了这些条款一旦合同引起诉讼你就已经为了你的客户打这场诉讼战准备了一些“弹药。类似的条款见附录A和B。Write for the Judge and Jury第四局部：要为法官和陪审团考虑31. Assume the reader is a knowledgeable layman. If your writing is so clear that a layman could understand it, then it is less likely it will end in court.31.要假设合同的读者是一个受过教育的外行,假设你书写的合同简明得连一个外行都能

49、理解那么即使到了法庭上,你也不用害怕。32. Define a by capitalizing it and putting it in quotes. Capitalizing a indicates that you intend it to have a special meaning. The following are two sample clauses for defining terms:Wherever used in this contract, the "Goods" shall mean the goods that Buyer has agreed

50、 to purase from Seller under this contract.Buyer hereby agrees to purase from Seller ten (10) frying pans, hereinafter called the "Goods."32.强调一个合同术语可以这样做：加上双引并将其开头的字母大写。将一个词语的开头字母大写说明你想让它有一个特别的意思。下面有两个定义术语的例子：一.本合同中使用的“货物("Goods")是指买方已经同意向卖方购置的货物;二.本合同中买方同意向卖方购置的拾10只平底锅即下文中的“货物(

51、"Goods")。33. Define s when first used. Instead of writing a section of definitions at the beginning or end of a contract, consider defining terms and concepts as they first appear in the contract. This will make it easier for the reader to follow.33.第一次使用某个术语时就要下定义。定义合同术语不是在合同的开头也不是在合同的结尾而

52、是在这个术语第一次出现的时候这样做有利于读者更好地理解合同。34. Explain tenical terms and concepts. Remember that the parties might understand tenical jargon, but the judge and jury who interpret and apply the contract do not. Therefore, explain the contract's terms and concepts within the contract itself. Let the contract s

53、peak for itself from within its four corners.34.勤于解释合同中的术语和概念。要记住合同双方的当事人可能会理解合同中某些专用术语但法官和陪审团却可能一无所知。所以撰写合同时要让合同自己为自己释义。Keep Your Client Informed While You Write第五局部：书写时要常和你的客户沟通35. All contracts should e with a cover letter. This gives you a place to instruct your client on how to use and sign the contract.35.所有的合同都应该有一封说明书-用来告诉你的客户如何使用和签署合同。36. Tell your client the ideas that e as you write. Many ideas will occur to you as you write: things that could go wrong with the deal, things that might happen in the future, things that happened in the