INDEX TO
REAL WORLD DOCUMENT DRAFTING
"a",
use of, 136
active voice, 82
actual damages, 151
adhesion, contracts of. See
contracts of
adhesion
adjectives, 79
adverbs, 79
adversarial aspects of document drafting, 3
"aforesaid", use of, 133
after, 58
agreements to agree, 127
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, 51
alternative dispute resolution, 157
ambiguities, 66
antecedent,
confused, 73
caused by prepositional phrase, 73
lexical, 70
notice provision useing "giving", 193
resolution of, 77
ambiguous
plurals, 82
amendment provisions, 183
amendments, 65
American General Financial, Inc. v. Bassett, 57
"and", joint or several use of , 77
"and/or", 80
antecedents, 73
anticipating issues, 11
anti-waiver provisions, 202
arbitration, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 179
as such - phrase to avoid, 133
assignment, 203
contractual
limitations upon, 205
assumption, 204
attachments, 31
attorney's function
client's view
of, 8
Bank of
Montreal, 190
baseball arbitration, 158
"because", 135
before, 58
best efforts, 99, 131
drafting
approaches, 103
use of extrinic
circumstances to establish meaning, 71
Best Evidence
Rule, 114
bimonthly and semimonthly, 89
blackline revision
response to
first draft, 27
blacklining,
erroneous, 27
boilerplate, 31, 49, 56, 58, 60, 69, 70, 89, 116, 143, 178,
179, 207
cause of
contextual ambiguity, 70
boilerplate
definitions, 49
boldface, use of, 56
burden of persuasion, 24
buried definition
location in
document, 45
buried
definitions, 42
bolding first use, 46"
burn or return" clause, 200
business background
drafter's
knowledge of, 6
Carroll,
Lewis, 51
case citations, 2
"cause", use of term, 137
Channel Home Centers v. Grossman, 16
Chase Scientific Research v. NIA, 52
check lists, use of, 30
choice of law, 162
choice of venue, 162
clarity trumps variety, 133
client
review of
documents by, 61
client's
expectations, 7
client's goals, knowledge of, 6
client's perspective, 7
closing conditions, 118
Cohen, Morris R, 46
comma
serial, 85
single, 85
use of, 84
commercially
reasonable efforts, 102
common law arbitration, 161
compound prepositions, 143
computational provisions of contracts, 177
conditions, 169
conditions
distinglished
from obligations, 119
conditions
precedent to closing, 109
confessions of judgement, 57
confidentiality agreements, 179
conjunctive-disjunctive confusion, 80
consent and approval provisions, 171
consequential damages, 149
consideration, 90
for letter of
intent, 22
consistency,
51, 59, 125
conspicuousness, 57
construction of contracts, 92
contextual definition, 42
contextual ambiguity, 70
contiguous, adjacent and adjoining, 89
contra
proferentem, 26, 78, 86,
127
contract
contract construction that favors validity, 127
contract provisions
against public
policy, 152
illegal, 152
contracts
adhesion.
See
contracts of
adhesion
construction, 92
date of, 35
evergreen, 157
formal requirements, 90
legal theory of, 1
open-term,
91
renewal, 155
termination, 155
contracts of
adhesion, 115
contra
proferentem, 86
exculpation clauses in, 198
punitive damage provisions, 151
counterparts,
58
couplets, 137
covenants, 169, 170
cross-referencing, 49, 50, 62
damages
actual, 151
compensatory, 151
consequential, 149
general, 149, 151
incidental, 150
liquidated, 148
punitive, 151
special, 149
date of
document, 35
declaration of default, 143
default
delivery of
notice, 144
incurable, 147
notice of, 146
default notice,
144
default provisions, 143
defined terms
lists of, 63
definitions,
42, 212
buried, 42
circular, 46
counterintuitive, 46
defined meaning, 45
freestanding, 42
inclusive, 44
inconsistent, 70
incorporated by reference, 48
initial capitals, use of to identify, 46
location of, 45
nesting, 46
reason for use, 44
run on, 48
substantive provisions included in, 45, 60
word symbol, choice of, 45
delegation, 204
contractual
limitations upon, 205
Dickerson,
Reed, 1,
62, 83
Doctrine of the Last Antecedent, 127
document appearance, 55
documents
date of, 35
documents from
prior deals
use of, 28
drafting
control of
process, 23
economics of, 31
v. writing, 2
Drafting a Fair
Office Lease, 39
drafts in progress
format of, 56
retention, 13, 54
use of term, 54
due diligence
period, 30
due diligence provisions, 199
economic
duress, 115, 116
ejusdem
generis, 124
elapsed time periods, 59
Elements of Editing, Arthur Plotnik ,, 83
enumeration, 35
erroneous blacklining, 27
evergreen contracts, 157
"every", use
of, 136
exculpatory
provisions, 197
exhibits, 58
incorporation
by reference, 31
Expressio
Unius Est Exclusio Alterius, 123
facsimile
copies, 114
facsimile notice, 144
familiar format
benefit of
first draft preparation, 24
Federal
Arbitration Act, 161
first draft, 23
advantages, 23
flexible words
and phrases, 142
use of in
documents, 84
following, 58
force
majeure, 153
as market shift
protection device, 194
foreign
jurisdiction law, 165
foreign words and expressions, 62
forfeiture provisions, 119
forfeitures, 143
form books
use of, 29
formal
requirement of documents, 51
format of documents, 34, 55
familiar, 24
formatting, 63
forthwith, use of, 134
forum non
conveniens, 169
forum selection, 167
Four Corners Rule, 78, 94
fragmenting sentence for clarity, 139
freestanding definitions, 42
location in
document, 45
further
assurances, 201
game
theory, 4
gap fillers, 11, 98
gender-neutral language, 60
GMH Associates, Inc. v. Prudential Reality Group, 17, 120
golden rule of drafting, 7
Goldman, Gary, 39
"good", use of word, 71
"good cause", meaning of term, 92
good drafting practices, 53, 59, 70
avoid
substantive provisions in definitions, 70
avoiding pronouns, 60
consistency, 59, 125
expressing date periods, 59
sequence of events, 58
good faith and
fair dealing, 104
as independent
cause of action, 105
significance of recital, 108
Google
attorney name
search, 9
gross-up
provision, 131
handwritten v
provisions of contracts, 125
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, 6
headings, 38
"hereby", use of, 133, 134
"herein", use of, 133
"hereinafter", use of, 133
"hereof", use of, 133
Holmes, Oliver Wendall, Jr., 1,2
illegal
consideration in contracts, 117
illegal contract provisions, 152
illegal contracts, 152
illegality in contracts, 117
illusory contracts, 132
incidental damages, 150
inclusive, 59
inclusive definitions, 44
incorporating by reference, 48
incorporation by reference, 31
definitions, 70
incurable
default, 147
indemnification provisions, 170
indexing, 194
initial draft, response to, 26
integration
as legal
drafting concept, 110
integration
provisions, 110
intentional vagueness
ambiguity
distinguished, 83
internal
references errors, 51
interpretation of contracts, 92
issue identification, 6
jury trial,
waver of, 201
justification, 56
knowledge representations, 187
label , for
definition, 48
latent ambiguities, 69
latin words, 62
lawyer liability, 165
lead time, 10
LeClercq, Terri, 73, 127
legal form perpetuation, 3
legalese, 39
legally binding contract
legal
determination of as matter of law, 17
lessee and
lessor, 48
letter of intent, 5, 13, 15, 16, 29, 209
access
provisions, 20
binding provisions, 19
consideration for, 22
disclaimer of legal effect provision, 22
due diligence provisions, 20
liability limitation provisions, 21
merger provisions, 21
no shop provisions, 20
non-binding provisions, 19
recital, 19
typical provisions, 19
level of
reasonableness
client
expectations, 7
levels of
performance, 99
lexical ambiguities, 70, 71
liquidated damages, 148
litigated document provisions
use of, 61
litigation
issues, 90
litigation prone documents
adverse impact
of, 3
Littleton,
Arthur, 1
location of definitions in document, 45
mail notice,
145
manifestations of assent, 16
market-shift protection devices, 193
material contract provisions
legal
significance, 12
materiality
limitations, 190
mediation, 157
Mellinkoff, David, 2
memorandum of understanding, 13, 15
merger
legal drafting
concept, 110
merger
provisions, 110
metadata, 63
Mid-Continent Tel. Corp. v. Home Tel. Co.,, 17
misplaced phrases, 79
month, 58
mortgagor and mortgagee., 48
most favored nation provisions, 194
necessary
implication doctrine, 132
negotiate in good faith, 120
negotiation history, significance of, 55
no default conditions in contracts, 118
no shop provisions, 20
nonstarters, 10
noscitur a
sociis, 124
notice provisions, 191
dispatch or
receipt as operative event, 193
novation, 205
objective
criteria, 131
obligation to negotiate in good faith, 120
obligations
distinguished
from conditions, 119
"off the hook"
clause, 200
"only", 90
option price
fair market
value, 178
options, 178
oral modification, 110, 112
organization of document, 34
Orwell, George, 39
Oxford comma, 85
Pandora, in
Greek mythology, 7
Pandora’s box syndrome, 7
paragraph or section numbering, 56
parentheses, use of, 74
Parol Evidence Rule, 77, 94, 110
fact or legal
issue, 77
legal issue, 77
parties,
identification of, 36
passive voice, 82
patent v. latent ambiguities, 69
Philmar Mid-Atlantic, Inc. v. York Street Assoc. II,, 16
Plain Meaning Rule, 78, 94
plurals, ambiguous, 82
preliminary agreements, types, 14
prepositional phrase, as source of ambiguity, 73
prepositions, 80, 143
printed provisions of contracts, 125
prior material breach doctrine, 128
"prior to", 58
"professional" meaning of word, 52
professional liability, 165
pronouns, 133
proper names, use of, 133
"pro-rata", 87
provisos, 169,
170
"public", use
of word, 71
public domain,
181
public domain information
use in
confidentiality agreements, 181
punctuation, 84
punitive damages, 151
"radius", 87
"railroadease",
71
reading documents, by lawyers, 3
Reason and
Law, Morris R.
Cohen, 46
reasonable best efforts, 101, 103
reasonable cause, use of term, 137
reasonable diligence, 102
reasonableness. See
level of
reasonableness
recitals, 37, 38
as indication
of reasonable expectations of parties, 108
redlining.
See
blacklining
regulations
incorporation
by reference, 33
related
documents, 22
relational documents
described, 2
remedies
limitation of
liability for warrenty breach, 191
limitations upon, 151
specification of, 151
remedy
provisions, 143
remote risks, 65
renewal of contracts, 155
representations, 191
representations and warranties, 184
regarding
knowledge, 187
request for
reasonable document, 27
Restatement (Second) of Contracts, 152
Article 15, 27
Section 27, 16
Section 152, 37
Section 153, 27
Section 154, 27
Section 163, 27
Section 164 , comment b, 27
Section 166, 27
Section 200-202, 95
section 202, 97
Section 205, 104, 106
Section 209, 111
Section 209(3), 98
Section 229, 120
Section 322, 206
restrictive
clauses, 75
review and editing, 61
right of first offer, 183
right of first refusal, 183
"right of way", meaning of term, 71
Rule of Last Antecedent, 126
rules of construction, 50
rules of interpretation, use of, 78
rules of law, incorporation by reference, 33
run-on sentences, 138
Russell v. Gill, 55
"said", use of word 135
"sanction", use
of word, 71
satisfaction criteria, 130
schedules, 58
incorporation
by reference, 31
secondary
materials, 29
section numbering, 56
semantic ambiguity, 70
semicolon, use of, 86
sensitive issues, 10
sentence
fragmenting for
clarity, 139
length, 138
run-on, 138
severability,
152
"shall", use of
word 140
short hand
definitions, 42
Signet Bank, 190
"so long as",
use of expression 142
special
damages, 149
special or sensitive issues, 10
squinting modifiers, 72
standard form agreements, 118
standards for consent, 176
Stanton, District Judge, 1
Statute of Frauds, 113, 114, 122
statutes
incorporation
by reference, 33
statutory
arbitration, 161
statutory construction, 93
strict construction of contracts, 125
structural ambiguities, 71
Strunk and White, 83
subjective criteria, 131
subjective performance standards, 129
substantial compliance. See
substantial
performance
substantial performance
doctrine, 119,
125, 128, 129
substantive
provisions, in definitions, 46
succession, 207
successor and assigns provision, 207
"supermarket", meaning of term, 53
Sutherland on Statutory Construction, 127
syntactical ambiguities, 71
tabulation, 34,
72
alternative to
nesting definitions, 46
formats, 34
formatting documents, 56
term sheet, 5,
7, 13, 14, 29, 210
provisions, 209
termination of
contract, 155
"terms and
conditions", use of phrase 134
terms of art,
142
test language
in first draft
of document, 24
third-party
beneficiary provisions, 178
third-party consents, 12
third-party offer provisions, 195
time of the essence, 151
time periods, 58
Times New Roman typeface, 63
Times Roman typeface, 63
title issues, 12
trade terms, 71
trade usage, 34
transaction phases, 29
transitive verbs, 79
typed provisions of contracts, 125
unconscionability,
116
in contracts of
adhesion, 151
unconscionable
contract, 57
unconscionable contracts. See
unconsionability
understanding adversaries, 8
Uniform Commercial Code, 57
Article 2, 127,
128
Section 1-203, 104
Section 2-204(3), 92
Section 2-301, 116
Section 2-305, 92
Section. 1.102(3), 104
Section. 1-201(19), 105
unreasonable
withholding of consent?, 175
vagueness
intentional, 83
venue
choice of, 162
version
control, 62
vest pocket definition, 42
waiver of jury
trial, 201
warranty, 186
"which" and
"that" 87
wholesale
revisions, 28
"willful", use
of word 135
within, 58
word processing programs
find and search
utilities, use of, 45
word symbol
for
definitions, 48
meaning of term, 48
word-processing
programs, 62
words and phrases to avoid, 78, 133
Wright, Judge J. Skelly, 1
yellow
highlighter, use of, 4
Yellowstone case, 146
Yellowstone provision, 211
zipper clause,
113
