When you’re planning a big event, it’s understandable that your excitement and stress may prevent you from reading the fine print of the venue’s rental contract. However, it’s critical that you take the time to do that. Otherwise, the possible repercussions could be costly.
Consider Hiring a Lawyer to Review the Contract
A contracts lawyer is one who specializes in the legalities of contracts and agreements between two or more parties. When parties sign a contract, they are bound by a legal obligation to complete or uphold what they agreed to within that contract. If a party breaks that contract and fails to live up to their pre-agreed obligation, the other party may have legal recourse. They can hold the person who broke the contract responsible and possibly collect a significant sum of money without any further obligation on their part. In the case of a venue rental, if you were to cancel at the last minute when the contract obligated you to provide 48 hours’ notice, you may lose your deposit. That the venue might be able to book another party to take your place would be legally considered irrelevant unless written into the contract. However, a reputable banquet hall recommends will always do its best to accommodate you.
- A contracts lawyer can review the venue’s contract prior to your signing and provide legal guidance to you. He or she can tell you if the terms of the agreement are standard within the industry or are grossly unfair.
- A contracts lawyer can amend the contract and submit it to the venue with the request that they accept those changes. However, the venue is under no legal option to do so.
- A contracts lawyer may only charge a nominal flat fee to review the venue contract. That fee will more than pay for itself if the attorney is able to prevent you from losing your deposit.
- A contracts lawyer can interpret the terms of the contract and explain them to you using non-legalize, straightforward information about your legal obligations should you decide to sign it.
- A contracts lawyer can represent you if the venue later decides to pursue legal action against you even if you abided by the terms of the contract. In this way, your contracts lawyer can represent your best interests. If the venue understands that you have retained legal counsel they may decide that harassing you is simply not in their best legal or financial interests.
- A contracts lawyer can represent you if you later decide to pursue legal action against the venue for not fulfilling their obligations within the contract. In addition, if you feel the venue discriminated against you or your guests in some way, a lawyer can help you pursue justice in a civil lawsuit. In this scenario, if the contracts lawyer does not practice personal injury law, they can refer you to a lawyer who focuses on that area of the law.
