Course: Legal Technician English

Lesson 10: Contract

TEACHER: MG. KAREN Y. ESCALERA VICENTE
 Characteristics of Legal English

• Capital letter: serve identify defined terms.

• Synonim: don´t use synonym, use the Este acuerdo es personal para el empleado y el
same word for avoid confusion. empleado no asignará ninguna parte de los
derechos del empleado ni delegará
This agreement is personal to the Employee and
ninguna parte de las obligaciones del empleado
the Employee shall not assign any part of the
bajo este acuerdo a cualquier otra persona,
Employee’s rights or delegate any part of the
excepto que el empleado puede asignar los
Employee’s obligations under this agreement to
any other person, except that the Employee may derechos del empleado bajo este acuerdo al
personal o legal del empleado representantes,
assign the Employee’s rights under this
agreement to the Employee’s personal or legal ejecutores, administradores, herederos,
representatives, executors, administrators, heirs, distribuidores, ideales y legados
distributees, devisees and legatees
• Latin and French expressions
Ad hoc- para este fin
Affidavit- declaración jurada o firmada
plaintiff- demandante
• Common words with special meaning
• Use of archaism: Old words or phrases
Master and servant- empleador y empleado
Where – cuando
Provided that- sin embargo, siempre y cuando, bien entendido que…
False cognates
Words in two
different
languages
• Doublets and trebels are lexical
repetition.
• doublets
• Able and willing (estar dispuesto a
algo).
• Terms and conditions (cláusulas de
un contrato).
• Agree and acknowledge
(manifestar el conocimiento y la
aceptación de un hecho).
• All and every (todos y cada uno).
• Indemnify and hold harmless
(exonerar de responsabilidad).
• Trebels
• Cancel, annul and set aside
(cancelar).
• Form, manner and method (de
una determinada manera).
• Give, devise and bequeath (dejar
en testamento).
• Hold, possess and enjoy (tener la
posesión y el disfrute de algo).
• Right, title and interest (derechos
de propiedad).
Agreement vs. Contract
• An Agreement is each and every • A Contract is an Agreement
promise which is made. which is legally enforceable.
• Every Agreement is not a • Every Contract is an Agreement
Contract. • A contract is enforceable by Law.
• An Agreement is not enforceable • A Contract is a formal document.
by Law.
• A Contract has to be in written.
• An Agreement is an informal
document
• An Agreement could be verbal or
written.
 What Is a Contract?
A contract is an agreement
between two or more parties to
perform a service, provide a
product or commit to an act and is
enforceable by law.
There are several types of
contracts, and each have specific
terms and conditions.
Contract =
Agreement + Enforceability at Law
(Acuerdo + exigibilidad de la ley)
An agreement between two parties who promise to
give and receive something from each other, known as
consideration, and who intend the agreement to be
legally binding
UN contrato es un acuerdo
entre dos o más partes para
realizar un servicio,
proporcionar un producto o
comprometerse a un acto y es
exigible por la ley.
Hay varios tipos de contratos, y
cada uno tiene términos y
condiciones específicos.
Example
• Bob invites Hilary to dinner and
Hari accepts the invitation. It is
only a social agreement and not
enforceable in a court of law. So
it is not a contract.

• Bob agrees to sell his house to

Hilary for $50,000. This is a
contract.
Element of contract
The elements of common-law. All 4
elements are required for a valid
contract

• Offer (oferta)   
• Acceptance (aceptación)
• Consideration (consideración)
• Mutuality (mutualidad)
• Capacity (capacidad)
• Legally acceptable terms (términos
legalmente aceptables)
Example:
• Offer – I will buy your bike for
$20
• Acceptance – Okay
• Mutual Agreement – both
parties agree to everything
about the contract.
• Consideration – something of
value is exchanged
 Element of contract
• Offer:   money and another thing of value in exchange for
performance. An offer is a promise made by the offeror
• The offeror is the person making the offer.
• The offeree is the person who accepts.
• Acceptance: Is the agreement of the other party in the offer
presented
• Consideration: The mutual (on both sides) exchange of
something in value.
Example: a salesman sells a product for cash.
• Mutuality: The intent of both parties to carry out their promise
• Capacity: legal ability to enter into a contract. Capacity of the
parties in terms of age and mental ability
• Legally acceptable terms: Legally enforceable terms and
conditions, also called object of the contract.
• OFFER that details exactly what will be provided
• ACCEPTANCE, or the agreement by the other party to the offer presented
• GENUINE AGREEMENT (intent of both parties to carry out their promise)
• CONSIDERATION, or the money or something of value being exchanged
between the parties
• CAPACITY of the parties in terms of age and mental ability
• LEGALITY (The object of the contract is legal and not against public policy
or in violation of law)
Identifies contract elements
• Richard says to Charles, “I’ll sell
you my car for $6000 ".
____________

Charles replies, “I
agree“,_______________
• When A offers to sell his car to B
for $5 0000, there is an
obligation on A to sell and on B
to buy the car at the stipulated
price. Such an agreement is
therefore, enforceable by law
 Structure of the contract
(Tomada, con alguna modificación, de Fabra y Castillo, 1991).
(Tomada, con adaptación, de Borja,
En la ciudad de …., día, mes y año.
1998).
REUNIDOS:
1. Commencement (Introducción) De una parte, Don ….., mayor de edad, casado, con domicilio en …. y
provisto de N.I.F. ……, en lo sucesivo vendedor.
2. Recitals/Preamble (Relación de
hechos) Y de otra, Don …., en lo sucesivo comprador [referenciar las mismas
circunstancias personales que en el apartado anterior referidas al
WHEREAS… otro contratante).
INTERVIENEN:
WHEREAS….
Ambas partes intervienen en su propio nombre y derecho, se
[…] reconocen mutua capacidad de obrar y obligarse y a tal efecto,
EXPONEN:
AND WHEREAS
QUE …
Now therefore, this Agreement QUE…
witnesseth that…/Now it is hereby
[…]
agreed as follows…
QUE…, por lo que ambas partes otorgan el presente CONTRATO
DE COMPRAVENTA con sujeción a las siguientes
 Structure of the contract
3. Operative part (Sección efectiva) ESTIPULACIONES (CLÁUSULAS,
Article 1. Title: … CONDICIONES…):
• PRIMERA.
Article 2. Title: …
• SEGUNDA.
• Definitions (definiciones)
• […]
• Conditions precedent (condiciones previas)
• ENÉSIMA.
• Other operative provisions (otras cláusulas
operativas) Y en prueba de conformidad y
• Boiler plate (miscelánea) aceptación, firman el presente por
duplicado
4. Testimonium clause (Fórmula de conclusión)
In witness whereof, the parties… ejemplar en el lugar y fecha al principio
indicados (indicados ut supra).
5. Signatures (Firma)
6. Schedules/Annexes/ Exhibits (Anexos)
Firmado: …… Firmado: ……
TYPES OF CONTRACT
• Express (Express contract is a contract in
which the terms of the contract are stated
verbally, either orally or in writing)
• Implied (An implied contract is one which is
inferred from the act or conduct of the
parties or course of dealings between them.)
• Implied in fact
• Implied in law contract or quasi contract
• Bilateral (In a bilateral contract both of the
parties involved promise to carry out certain
things)
• Unilateral (A Unilateral contract is a
contract in which one of the party
(offeror) demands performance from
the other party (offeree), instead of a
promise. Since the offeree makes no
promise, he can not be sued for
abandoning or failing to carry out his
act; only the offeror is bound by the law
and, therefore, this is a single-sided
contract
• Void contract: is an agreement to do
illegal things or it hasn´t legal elements.
• Voidable Contracts: A contract is
voidable if one of the parties has the
option to abort the contract.
Types of implied contract
• Implied in fact: A contract in which an
agreement is seemingly intended
among the parties involved, but not
particularly verbally (in writing).
• Implied-In-Law Contract: This is also
known as a Quasi-Contract. It isn’t
actually a contract; rather, it is a way
for the courts to rectify situations in
which one party would be unfairly
enriched, were they not obliged to
compensate the other party.
• Implicado de un hecho: un contrato en
el cual un acuerdo se piensa al parecer
entre las partes implicadas, pero no
particularmente verbalmente (por
escrito).
• Contrato implícito en la ley: esto
también se conoce como cuasi-contrato.
En realidad no es un contrato; más bien,
es una manera para que los tribunales
corrijan las situaciones en las que un
partido sería injustamente enriquecido,
si no estuvieran obligados a indemnizar
a la otra parte
 Examples of the contracts
Unilateral (Only one party to the Bilateral (Both parties to the contract
contract makes a promise.) make promises to one another)
• example: Joe promises Matt that he • example: I promise to pay the car
will pay him $100 if Matt finds his wash $15 in exchange for the car
dog. Joe's performance of the wash's promise to clean my car.
contract depends on what Matt
does. If he finds the dog, Joe must
pay him.
 Express contract
Examples: • A wrote a letter to B stating
“offer to sell my car for Rs.
30000 to you”, B accepts the
Implied contract
offer by letter sent to A. This is
• A enters a hotel, takes coffee an express contract.
and pays the bill. Here, offer and
acceptance are inferred from the
conduct of the parties. In the
same way, where a person
enterns a public bus, or obtains a
ticket from an automatic teller
machines there is an implied
contract.
Examples: Implied contract
• A stops a taxi by waving his hand
Express contract and boards it. There is an
• A says to B “will you purchase implied contract that A will pay
my bike for 20 000?” B says the prescribed fare on reaching
“yes” to A. his destination. Withdrawal of
cash from the ATM of the bank.
 Examples
Voidable contract
• X agrees to sell and deliver 10 bags
of wheat to Y for Rs. 25 000 within
on week. But X doesn´t supply to
wheat within the specified time.
The contract becomes voidable
contract.
Valid contract
• X offer to marry Y. Y accepts X´s offer.
This is a valid contract
Void contract
• X offers to marry Y. Y accepts X´s offer.
Later on Y diez. This contract was valid
at the time of its creation or
formations but now became void due
to the death of Y.
Don´t forget!!!
• Express contract: stated in words and may
be either oral or written.
• Implied contract: contract that comes
about from the actions of the parties.
• Bilateral contract: contains two promises
one bye each person
• Unilateral contract: contains one promise
only
Activity in class
• Read it carefully. Then look in
the contract for some of those 
terms defined and pay attention
to how they are used.
• Look the contract and search the
false cognates
• Portada • Portada : titulo del contrato, la fecha
en la que se celebra, nombres de las
• Indice partes, la condición en la que
• Encabezado interviene cada uno de ellas, en
algunos casos el nombre del despacho
• Preámbulo
• Indice: table of contents
• Clausulado • Encabezado: fecha, lugar de
• Cierre o conclusión celebración del contrato, la relación
de las partes que intervienen en el y
• firmas la condición de cada una “THIS
AGREEMENT is dated () 2019 and
made in (London) between”
• Preambulo: o recitals, Preamble,
Whereas (una exposición mas o
menos breve de los antecedentes
del contrato y de los firmarlo, así
como sus intereses y objetivos
respectivos; aquí exponen los
motivos que tienen para celebrar
el contrato)
• Clausulado: se suele dividir en
artículos articles o clausulas
clauses.
• Definitions
• Representations and Warranties
(declaraciones y garantías
• Entire Agreement: acuerdo
completo)
• Material adverse change
(cambio sustancial adverso),
Confidentiality (confidencialidad)
• Conclusión o cierre: todos los
acuerdos a los que se ha llegado
• In WITNESS WHEREOF, the
parties hereby sign this
agreement in the date and place
first above written.
• Firmas (signature block)
• Anexos: annex, appendix, exhibit
o Schedule