写好英文合同模板方法

1、如何写好英文合同(中英文对比)Before You Write the First Word第一部分：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，也能够讲是合同的清单、目录或概述。这一招首先关心你的客户弄清合同的重点所在。 2. Engage your c

2、lient 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。好的合同不仅能够预见到许多可能发生的情况，而且还能清晰地描

3、述动身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觉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.请求你的客户提供类似的合同。通常情况下，客户都保留着过去的交易记录或者是类似合同。 4. Search your office computer or the Interne

4、t for a similar form. Many times you can find a similar form on your computer. It may be one you prepared for another client or one you negotiated with another lawyer. Just remember to find and replace the old clients name. Starting with an existing form saves time and avoids the errors of typing. 4

5、.在办公室的电脑中或是在因特网上搜索类似的合同范本。通常你会在你的电脑上找到你想要的东西，这些类似的合同范本要么是你给其他客户预备的，要么是你和其他的律师共同协商起草的。使用这些旧合同能够为你节约时刻和幸免打印错误，只是，用这些合同范本时不忘了替换掉老客户的名字。 5. Obtain forms in books or CD-ROM. Typical forms of contracts can be found in form books, such as Wests Legal Forms (a nationwide set) and Florida Jur Forms, as well

6、as in treatises and Florida Bar CLE publications. These can be used as the starting point for drafting the contract or as checklists of typical provisions and wording to include in the contract. Many treatises and form books now come with forms on disk or CD-ROM. 5.从书中或者是光盘上猎取合同范本。典型的合同范本在一些范例书中都可能找

7、到：比如,西方法律文书（全国版）佛罗里达州文书期刊，另外，在有些论文和佛罗里达州律师协会的法律接着教育出版物中也能够找到一些。起草合同时，你能够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，许多论文和书中的合同范本都有电子文本储存在磁盘或光盘中。 6. Dont let your client sign a letter of intent without this wording. Sometimes clients are anxious to sign something to show good faith before the contract is prepa

8、red. A properly worded letter of intent is useful at such 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.假如没有特不申明，不要让你的客户在意向书上签字。有时候，在合同未预备好之前，客户为了表示诚意，往往急于签署某些东西，因此

9、，在这种情况下，假如客户急于签署的是有特不申明的意向书，这也是能够的，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，而拟定的对以后条款的概述。类似意向书的范例见附录C。 Writing that First Word 第二部分：开始起草合同 7. Start with a simple, generic contract form. The form in Appendix A is such a form. It provides a solid starting point for the structure of the contract. Like a house, a

10、contract must have a good, solid foundation. 7.从简单、典型的合同入手。附录A确实是一个简单、典型的合同，它提供了一个合同的差不多支架。像房子一样，一个合同必须有一个牢固的根基。 8. State the correct legal names of the parties in the first paragraph. As obvious as this is, it is one of the most common problems in contracts. For individuals, include full first and

11、last name, and middle initials if available, and other identifying information, if appropriate, such as Jr., M.D., etc. For corporations, check with the Secretary of State where incorporated. 8.在合同的第一段要写清晰双方的名称。，这是个简单而又不得不引起重视的问题。假如是个人，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；假如是公司，为幸免弄错，写名称时能够到公司注

12、册地的相应机构去核对一下。 9. Identify the parties by nicknames. Giving each party a nickname in the first paragraph will make the contract easier to read. For example, James W. Martin would be nicknamed Martin. 9.确定合同双方的不称（简称）。为便于阅读，一般要在合同的第一段为双方弄一个不称，如：将詹姆士.马丁简写为马丁。 10. Be careful when using legal terms for ni

13、cknames. Do not use Contractor 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不称时，要小心。除非一方

14、当事人在法定上确实是承包人，否则不要将承包人作为其不称。同样，除非你想让一方当事人成为法定上的代理人，否则不要称其为代理人，假如坚持要用，最好明确一下代理范围并找到其他能够幸免今后争吵的方案。 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 othe

15、r documents in a precise way, such 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刻留下空格。把签约时刻放在第一段，当合同签署后，你就能够专门容易地找到它，而且，如此做还能够给你在其他相关文件中准确地描述那个合同提供关心，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 precede the body o

16、f a contract. They provide a simple way to bring the contracts reader (party, judge or jury) up 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 and state that

17、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）专门快地了解到合同的要紧内容是什么，合同双方是谁，以及他们什么缘故签订合同，等等。因此，合同主体的第一段也能够加上引述语并陈述其是真实准确的，假如如此做了，合同双方今后就可不能争吵：引述语作为合同的一部

18、分是否具有法律效力？ 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 group related concepts in the same pa

19、ragraphs or in adjacent paragraphs. For example, write an employment contracts initial paragraph headings like this: Recitals. Employment. Duties. Term. Compensation. 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，因此，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，只是，这些标题词要力求总结出每个段落或相关段落的内容。比如：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 期限

20、 赔偿 14. Complete each paragraph by writing the contract terms that apply to that paragraph. This is simple. You learned this in elementary school. Just explain in words 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，这专门简单，你可能上小学时就学过，但我依旧要提醒你，要集中火力，一段一段地分不讲

21、明合同双方同意做什么，不同意做什么。 15. Keep a pad at hand to remember clauses to add. It is normal to think of additional clauses, wording and issues while writing a contract. Jot these down on a pad as you write; they are easily forgotten. Also keep your clients outline and other forms in front of you as you write

22、, and check off items as you write them. 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，你最好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

23、 is almost impossible to say it twice without creating 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 a

24、ccurate and consistent with the concept as worded. 16.除非是为了更清晰地讲明问题，否则不要在合同中重复陈述某个内容。将一个事实来回地讲专门容易让人模棱两可。假如你将一个概念重复地解释，那理解起来就更有困难。另外，假如你想通过一个例子来阐明一个难以理解的概念或规则时，一定要考虑到其所有的含义、那个例子的准确性以及它和概念的相符性。What to Watch Out for When Writing 第三部分：撰写时的注意事项 17. Title it Contract. Do not leave this one to chance. If

25、your client wants a contract, call it a contract. A judge now sitting on the federal bench 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 th

26、e word Contract in the title. 17.标题上注明合同两字。不要为碰运气而忽略那个。假如你的客户需要合同，就要注明是合同。一个仍在联邦法院里任职的法官就曾经裁定：有双方签字，但标有建议书的文件并非合同。这给我们的教训确实是，你如何想，就应该如何讲。假如你想让你的文件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 ac

27、tive tense, rather than passive. Active tense sentences are shorter and use words 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，主动语态的句子更简短，措词更精

28、练，表达更明白。依旧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. Dont use the word 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，因为这有可能产生歧义是两周依旧每隔一周？类似的词还有双月,因此最好如此写:两周或每隔一周。 21. Dont s

29、ay things like active termites and organisms. Avoid ambiguity by writing either active termites and active organisms or organisms and active termites. When adding a modifier like active before a compound of nouns like termites and organisms, be sure to clarify whether you intend the modifier to appl

30、y 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 each noun. If you intend it to apply to just one noun, place that one noun at the end of the list and the modifier directly in front of it. 21.不要讲活动着的白蚁和有机体之类的话，为了幸免

31、模棱两可，最好如此写：“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，你一定要弄清晰那个修饰语是修饰两个名词依旧仅仅修饰第一个名词。假如是修饰两个词，能够用排比的手法分不在这两个词之前加上修饰语，假如你只想修饰一个名词，那么你就应该把那个词放在这组词的最后，然后在它的前面加上修饰语。 22. Dont say Lessor and Lessee. These are bad nicknames for a lease because they are easily reversed or mistyped. Use La

32、ndlord and Tenant instead. The same applies to lienor and lienee, mortgagor and mortgagee, grantor and grantee, licensor and licensee, party A and party B. This is where you can use your creativity to come up with a different nickname for a party, as long as you use it consistently throughout the co

33、ntract. 22.不要讲“出租人”和“承租人”。这对一个租赁合同来讲是些不行的不称，因为他们容易被颠倒或者出现打印错误。能够用“房东”和“房客”来代替他们。同样，在合同中也不要讲留置权人和留置人，抵押权人和抵押人，保证人和被保证人，许可人和被许可人，当事人A和当事人B到底如何讲，这就要看你驾驭语言的能力了，只是，要把握的一条原则，即在整个合同中，对合同一方只能用一个不称。 23. Watch out when using herein. Does wherever used herein mean anywhere in the contract or anywhere in the pa

34、ragraph? Clarify this ambiguity if it matters. 23.使用术语“本文（herein，也可译为”“在那个地点”）时要当心。为了幸免模糊不清，使用“本文”时最好特不申明一下“本文”是指整个合同，依旧指其所在的某一段落。 24. Write numbers as both words and numerals: ten (10). This will reduce the chance 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 con

35、sider adding but not limited to. Unless you intend the list to be all-inclusive, you had better clarify your intent that it is merely an example. 25.假如你想用包括那个词，就要考虑在其后加上但不限于的分句。除非你能够列出所有被包括的项，否则最好用但不限于的分句，来讲明你只是想举个例子。 26. Dont rely on the rules of grammar. The rules of grammar that you learned in sc

36、hool are not universal. The judge or jury interpreting the meaning 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 commas, then read it.

37、Choosing the right words and placing them in the right place makes the writing clear without punctuation. 26.不要依靠于语法规则。那些你在学校里得到的语法规则并不是放之四海而皆准的东西，因为有权力来解释此合同的法官或陪审团成员学的语法规则可能和你学的不一样，但不管学的是什么规则，撰写合同都要遵循一个差不多原则：简洁、明确。检测你写的东西是否达到那个要求有个好方法，那确实是去掉所有的句号和逗号，然后去读它。在没有标点符号的情况下，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，

38、更流畅。 27. Dont be creative with words. Contract writing is not creative writing and is not meant to provoke reflective thoughts or controversies about nuances of meaning. Contract writing is clear, direct and precise. Therefore, use common words and common meanings. Write for the common man and the c

39、ommon woman. 27.不要制造词语。合同文书不是制造性的作品，也就不能因为意思的细微差不而引起考虑或争论。合同文书应该是清晰、直接而准确的。因此，要使用一般的词语,表达一般的意思，为一般人撰写合同。 28. Be consistent in using words. 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

40、consistency is more important than avoiding repetition. Dont worry about 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，假如你想用“物资”来指整个合同的标的物，就不要时而称它们为“物资”，时而又改称它们为“产品”。保持用词一致性比幸免重复更加重要。不要担心这会让读者打瞌睡

41、；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. The 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 such things as where you put ending quote marks, whether you place commas after year

42、s and states, and similar variations in style. 29.在文法和标点符号上保持一致。你可能学过许多不同类的文法和标点符号规则，但在使用它们时最好保持一致。要特不注意句末的引号、时刻和地点之后的逗号以及文风的相似性。 30. Consider including choice of law, venue _selection, and attorneys fee clauses. If your contract gets litigated, you might as well give your client some ammunition for

43、 the fight. Examples of these clauses appear in Appendices A and C. 30.能够在合同中加入准据法、审判地、律师费等条款。有了这些条款，一旦合同引起诉讼，你就差不多为了你的客户打这场诉讼战预备了一些“弹药”。类似的条款见附录A和B。 Write for the Judge and Jury 第四部分：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 understa

44、nd it, then it is less likely it will end up in court. 31.要假设合同的读者是一个受过教育的外行,假如你书写的合同简明得连一个外行都能理解，那么即使到了法庭上,你也不用可怕。 32. Define a word by capitalizing it and putting it in quotes. Capitalizing a word indicates that you intend it to have a special meaning. The following are two sample clauses for defi

45、ning terms: Wherever used in this contract, the word Goods shall mean the goods that Buyer has agreed to purchase from Seller under this contract.Buyer hereby agrees to purchase from Seller ten (10) frying pans, hereinafter called the Goods. 32.强调一个合同术语能够如此做：加上双引号并将其开头的字母大写。将一个词语的开头字母大写表明你想让它有一个特不的意

46、思。下面有两个定义术语的例子： 一.本合同中使用的“物资”(Goods)是指买方差不多同意向卖方购买的物资; 二.本合同中买方同意向卖方购买的拾（10）只平底锅，即下文中的“物资”(Goods)。 33. Define words 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

47、 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，而是在那个术语第一次出现的时候，如此做，有利于读者更好地理解合同。 34. Explain technical terms and concepts. Remember that the parties might understand technical jargon, but the judge and jury who interpret and apply the contract do not. Therefore

48、, explain the contracts terms and concepts within the contract itself. Let the contract speak 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。因此撰写合同时要让合同自己为自己释义。 Keep Your Client Informed While You Write 第五部分：书写时要常和你的客户沟通 35. All contracts should co

49、me 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讲明书-用来告诉你的客户如何使用和签署合同。 36. Tell your client the ideas that come as you write. Many ideas will occur to you as you write: things that could go wrong with the deal, things that mig

50、ht happen in the future, things that happened in the past, ways to structure things better. Write these in your letter to the client. 36.告诉客户你在撰写过程中的一些方法。比如：哪些情况可能会随着交易变得专门遭，哪些事可能会在今后发生，哪些情况差不多发生了，哪些能够让情况朝好的方向进展的方法你最好在给客户的讲明书中都将这些都写上。 37. Inform your client of the risks. Writing a letter to the clie

51、nt as you write the contract is the perfect way to inform the client of the risks and rewards of entering into the contract. Frequently, problems do not become apparent until time is spent trying to word a contract. 37.告诉客户合同的风险所在。在撰写合同时，你最好向客户讲订立合同需要承担的风险和能够得到的利益。通常情况下，只要你花时刻来起草合同，你就会发觉真正的风险在哪里。Wha

52、t To Do After the First Draft Is Written 第六部分：完成初稿后做什么 38. Check spelling, paragraph numbering, and cross references both manually and with your word processors spelling and grammar checker. This almost goes without saying today, especially since Microsoft Word now checks your spelling and grammar a

53、s you type. (Unfortunately it also changes per stirpes to per stupid if you fail to watch it closely.) And now there are even computer programs that check contract documents for undefined terms. DealProof is packaged with Corel WordPerfect for law offices, and DocProofReader is available for downloa

54、d for MS Word 97 and 2000. 38.核实合同的拼写情况、段落序号以及上下文的注解，你能够自己手动来做，也能够用文字编辑软件中的拼写和语法检查功能来完成，特不是自从有了微软的word软件后，做如此的工作你大概不要费多少精力（但机器有时也不可靠，假如你不看认真，它就会把per stirpes改变为 per stupid）。现在，这类专业的软件甚至能够帮你检测到合同中没有释义的术语，如：Corel公司专门为法律办公开发的文字处理软件包中的DealProof软件，还有可供word97和word2000下载安装的DocProofReader软件。 39. Let your sec

55、retary or paralegal read it. Not only will your staff frequently find spelling and grammar errors missed by your word processors spell checker, but they will find inconsistencies and confusing areas that you missed when drafting. 39.让你的秘书或者助手阅读你草拟的合同。你的同事不仅能通过文字处理软件来帮你检查到你没有查到的拼写和语法错误，而且他们还能发觉你起草时没有

56、察觉到的矛盾和混淆之处。 40. Stamp Draft #1 6/22/2000 on it. This may be the first of many drafts, so avoid confusion early by numbering and dating all drafts at the top of the first page. It is also a good idea to write DRAFT across the face of each page to preclude the possibility of an impatient client signi

57、ng a draft rather than waiting for the final version. 40.在合同上注明“第一稿于200年6月22日”,第一稿完成后，可能还要草拟几个版本，为了幸免他们之间相互混淆，最好在每份草稿首页的顶部注上序号和起草时刻。另外，在每一个版本的封面上注明“草稿”字样，也能够幸免你那急躁的客户不等到最后的定稿文本就急于签字。 41. Let your client read it. Letting the client in on reading the first draft assures that your drafting will stay in

58、 tune with the clients wishes. 41让你的客户读你草拟的合同。你的客户读第一稿，能够确保你的起草的东西和客户的愿望相符。 42. Save the drafts as multiple files on your computer. If you save the first draft on your computer as two files, you will have one file identified as the first draft and the other identified as the current version. This ca

59、n be done by naming the current version contract and the first draft as contract.d1. Then, subsequent versions can be named contract.d2, contract.d3, etc., where the d in the extension indicates draft. (Of course, if youre not using WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS, as I do, you can use long file names to sh

60、ow the contract name, draft number and draft date, such as Contract Smith Jones draft 2 datd 6 22 2000.) 42.在电脑中将草拟的合同多保存几个复件。假如你将第一稿合同存了两份在电脑中，那么其中的一份能够用来存档，另一份则能够用来接着修改。用来存档的文件能够命名为合同.草1。用来修改的文件能够命名为合同。以此类推，以后修改的版本就命名为合同.草2，合同.草3，等等。带草字的扩展名表示此合同是草拟版本。（因此，你可能不经常用DOS下的WordPerfect 5.1软件，我是经常用的，你也能够用一