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Feb 6, 2012 · A contract is a legally binding agreement between two or more persons for a particular purpose. It is an instrument for the economic exchange of goods and services. In Canada, contract law is administered both in common law and, in Quebec, civil law.
If a contract contains all these elements, it can be considered binding and legally enforceable. Understanding the difference between binding vs. non-binding contracts can actively limit your liability as a consumer or seller.
- Offer. An offer is the tentative promise that begins contractual negotiations. It is when one party to a contract initiates and indicates a desire to enter into a relationship with another party.
- Acceptance. When an offer is made, acceptance of the offer generally requires positive conduct meaning that the acceptance is deemed only to have occurred when the accepting party acts in some way or form that confirms acceptance.
- Consideration. Consideration as an element to a legally binding contract is without the same meaning as the word consideration in common language. While giving careful thought, being the common language meaning of the word consideration, is prudent in contractual negotiations, the word consideration as it applies to contract law means the existence of a value for value exchange between the parties to a contract.
- Intention, ad idem (meeting of the minds) The element of intention involves a genuine desire to establish legal relations. Where a reasonable bystander listening to negotiations would fail to perceive sincerity among one or more of the parties, formation of a contract has failed; and accordingly, the element of intention requires an objective rather than subjective review as was confirmed in, among others, the case of West End Tree Service Inc.
- Contract Defined. See Canadian Abridgment: CON.I.1 Contracts — Nature of contract — What constitutes contract. A contract is a legally recognized agreement between two or more persons which gives rise to an obligation that may be enforced in the courts.
- Consensus Ad Idem. See Canadian Abridgment: CON.III.1 Contracts — Formation of contract — Consensus ad idem. Since mutuality lies at the root of any legally enforceable agreement, a contract requires a meeting of the minds of the parties on all essential matters relating to it (consensus ad idem).
- Uncertainty and Incompleteness of Terms. See Canadian Abridgment: CON.III.1.b Contracts — Formation of contract — Consensus ad idem — Certainty of terms.
- Necessity for Formal Written Contract. See Canadian Abridgment: CON.III.1.b Contracts — Formation of contract — Consensus ad idem — Certainty of terms.
Jul 25, 2024 · Contracts are legally binding agreements, and they pervade almost every aspect of our personal and business lives. If you own or manage a business, you've likely created or been handed agreements at least a handful of times.
Feb 16, 2024 · A legally binding contract is a document or agreement that helps you to pursue legal remedies for damages if the other party doesn’t fulfill their obligations or acts contrary to the agreed-upon terms. The essentials of a legally-binding contract are agreement and value.
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Legality: For a contract to be legally binding, that is, enforceable at law, it must not create obligations to do something that is illegal. For example, an agreement to steal something cannot form the basis for a legal contract.
