Regina Contract Lawyers

Saskatchewan businesses rely on contracts to get business done. Yet attempting to go it alone is a sure path to disaster. Our team of experienced commercial contract lawyers can help ensure you are only creating and signing contracts which can benefit your business.

We help with all kinds of agreements, including:

• Shareholder or partnership agreements
• Joint ventures
• Franchise agreements
• Service contracts
• Buy/Sell contracts
• Financing
• Leases
• Employment contracts
• Succession planning
• Construction contractors
• Subcontractor agreements

Each agreement benefits from our contract negotiation skills, our skills at drafting certain contracts, and our ability to ensure that every contract you sign is tailor-made to your business and its needs.

What are the stages of contract management?

The first stage is to work with you to identify the needs and goals for the new contract. Usually contracts exist to manage risks and to ensure all of the parties involved in a particular agreement understand exactly what their obligations are. This pre-draft phase helps to clarify what sorts of provisions need to be put into place. There may be a fair amount of negotiation to get through in the stage, even before the contract is written.

The next phase is drafting the contract. This will get some of those initial ideas down on paper. Your lawyer and the other party’s lawyer will use this initial document as a jumping-off point for further negotiations. The contract may be drafted and redrafted several times before the final agreement gets signed.

Once all parties have signed it’s time to execute the contract. If all goes according to plan, both sides will be happy and business will continue. If something goes wrong, the contract may be breached, and you and your lawyer will have to work together to address next steps.

Note that not every contract will go through extensive negotiation. If it’s tailor-made for your business then it is fine to have a “standard employment agreement” or a “standard NDA.” 

Your lawyer can advise you as to which contracts need the full contract management process and which can be signed as a routine part of doing business. Helping you draft those standard contracts is one of our responsibilities as well, and we can do so knowing they will be used for that purpose.

Can you renegotiate a contract?

Sometimes you get into a contract only to find it was a bad deal. If both you and the other party value the relationship it may be possible to renegotiate the contract, but both parties have to agree.

Usually a renegotiation will involve adding an addendum or a rider to an existing contract rather than rendering the initial contract null and void. Often, renegotiation can be an acceptable alternative to litigation. 

Why Merchant Law?

Our lawyers bring decades of experience to the table, as well as a passion for helping your business succeed. We have a keen eye for the kinds of issues that can lead to later litigation and do our best to stop problems before they arise. Yet we’re also known as some of Saskatchewan’s toughest litigators, and we’re not afraid to go to court when the need arises.

Call (306) 359-7777 today to set an appointment. We’ll meet with you, answer your questions, and help you determine whether we’re the right lawyers for you.