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Experience Needed
 Many Illinois construction
contractors don't draft their own construction contracts. Why not? There are three common reasons.
Excuse 1: It's About Contract Law, Not Construction
Illinois construction contract law is too complex. Who has time to understand
all those statutes and court decisions? That's what lawyers do. I'm a builder.
Part true and part false. Drafting construction contracts is about both law and
construction. But it's probably easier for an Illinois construction contractor to master the basics
of contract law than it is for an Illinois attorney to understand the essentials of construction. If
you're concerned about making a mistake, draft a contract with Illinois Construction Contract Writer. Then
get the attorney of your choice to review that contract. Once approved by your attorney, use that contract
as a model for all similar jobs. Illinois Construction Contract Writer makes it easy to clone any contract
on file.
On a difficulty scale, using Illinois Construction Contract Writer is easier than preparing your Illinois
tax return with one of the popular income tax programs. If you've used a program like Tax Cut or TurboTax,
expect Illinois Construction Contract Writer to become another of your favorites.
Excuse 2: It's Not Really That Important
Who reads all that boilerplate, anyhow? I use a printed contract I found on the Web. No
matter what the contract says, my customers are always right. I'll make it good if there's a dispute – even if
the contract says I don't have to.
Clearly false. What the contract says is very important if you get into a dispute. Illinois
courts take contracts very seriously. Courts, attorneys and arbitrators really do read construction contracts
and try to make conscientious decisions about what the contract requires. Even if you didn't read a contract
you signed and even if you don't understand what it says, a court (or arbitrator or the attorney representing
the property owner) will read the contract word-by-word to figure out exactly what the contract requires. Every
judge and arbitrator will assume both the contractor and the property owner fully intend what the contract says.
Consider that before signing any agreement.
If your plan is to give in on every dispute, no matter how ridiculous, congratulations! You're one of the last
in that category. Few survive for long with a policy like that.
Excuse 3: I'm Too Busy
I don't have time to write a custom contract for every job. Having an attorney do that
for me is out of the question. I have other priorities and better ways to spend my money.
100% correct! Every contractor has higher priorities. But what if you could draft
a very professional, comprehensive contract that fits your job to a tee and complies
with Illinois law – and do it in less than an hour? Would that change your mind?
If your answer is anything stronger than "maybe," consider downloading
Illinois Construction Contract Writer.
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