Updated July 21, 2020:

You can find samples of contracts between two parties online. Such contracts could be a business-to-business contract, a person-to-person contract, or a mixture of the two.  When writing a contract, it is critical to understand how important it is to include proper elements. Contracts are recognized in courts. In a dispute, a judge will decide what the contract means.

Both businesses and regular consumers use contracts. 

  • If you are a business or a professional working and you are hired by another business to render specific services, develop intellectual goods, or provide supplies in exchange for pay, you would outline the terms in a contract.
  • If you are buying a home, car, or start a new job, the terms and conditions would be outlined in an appropriate contract.

How to Write a Legal Contract

A contract is a legally binding agreement between at least two entities. It can be two or more people, two or more organizations, or a combination of the two. These agreements usually exchange something that has value for all involved parties. A contract should be mutually beneficial and equitable to all parties involved. In order to make a contract between two or more companies enforceable, the contract must be in writing.

  • Decide whether the agreement warrants a contract.
  • If you decide that you need a contract, make sure it includes all the necessary parts. A written agreement is a contract only if it: has an offer, an offer acceptance, and exchange of equitable values from each party.
  • Make sure all participants can lawfully take part in a contract. Form contracts with someone who is commissioned to carry a contract on a company's behalf. Also, in most cases, you must be 18 or older and have the mental ability to fully understand the terms of the contract.
  • Each party in the contract must exchange something valuable like money, a product, a service, or intellectual property. One party may pay for the other to provide intellectual property. Even still, one party may provide goods in exchange for the other party's cash.
  • Everyone must agree to the terms of the contract. A contract is legally binding if there is an offer in addition to someone accepting that offer.The law will only acknowledge the contract if everyone involved interpret the contract the same."Meeting of the minds" is the lawful term that signifies all parties involved agree.
  • All party must come to the deal intending to hold up their part of the contract. The parties must agree to the terms of the contracts. Everyone consented to the deal without feeling forced to do so.
  • Determine whether you can write the contract, or if you need legal assistance.  You may want to hire a lawyer, for instance, if you want a way to legally get out of the contract. Furthermore, if you have a lot at stake, consider hiring an attorney.
  • Start with basic information, like the name of each party. Use any information that identifies each person, like their title and the business they are representing.
  • Write a detailed account of what values or consideration you are exchanging. Make the sentences easy to understand and break it up into short paragraphs for readability.
  • Use an appendix (addenda) if you need to add further detail to clarify terms in your agreement.
  • If you do not want the other party to share information in the agreement, then include a confidentiality clause or a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
  • A termination clause lets all parties know the different situations that will end the contract.
  • Check your contract to make sure it is legal. Your document must meet the minimum criteria required by law. 
  • The last page is saved for signatures. Both parties can sign and date the contract.

There are all kinds of samples of contracts between two parties. First, know what kind of agreement you are considering. What consideration are you offering? What do you expect to get? Depending on the complexity of those answers, you may want to seek assistance in writing the contract. 

If you need help with crafting a contract between two parties, you can post your legal need on UpCounsel's marketplace. UpCounsel accepts only the top 5 percent of lawyers to its site. Lawyers on UpCounsel come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and average 14 years of legal experience, including work with or on behalf of companies like Google, Menlo Ventures, and Airbnb.