It's All Talk
You don't have to tear your hair out every time you read a contract that's chock-full of legalese.
By Marc Diener •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
We can speculate about why legal language is so opaque. Butwhether legalese is a conspiracy against the laity, the result ofinstitutional inertia--or something else entirely--reallydoesn't matter. Most contracts are written in this bulkydialect and, like it or not, we all have to deal with it. Ofcourse, for the well-financed deal-maker, legalese is nothing morethan an annoyance--their attorneys take care of it. But ifyou're not budgeted for professional help, or if your deal istoo small to justify legal fees, what should you do?
For one thing, don't despair. Read the paperwork anyway. Atleast you can double-check material terms: how much, what, whereand so on. Even the best professional can miss something; anotherpair of eyes doesn't hurt. Then, do your best. When you mustread agreements without the help of a lawyer, follow theserules:
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