Business Contracts Lawyers for Evansville, Indiana

I suggest you consult with an attorney. However, some items to include in the force majeure include pandemics and governmental regulations and ordinances.

Dispute resolution under a software agreement or other contract will typically be governed by the terms of the contract. A well-prepared software agreement will include a specific section or other provision saying exactly how a dispute will be resolved. These can (and often should) be very detailed. Sometimes, different types of disputes will have different dispute mechanisms. For example, a dispute over whether a deliverable was accepted may be subject to one approach, a dispute over payment may be governed by another, and a dispute over a claim of a violation of third-party rights by yet a third. Again, it depends on the terms of the contract. Hopefully, your contract includes a clear and specific provision for dispute resolution. If not, then you would default to trying to work it out. If that is not realistic, if the parties are willing to try mediation, that is often far more preferable to a lawsuit, both because it is usually far less expensive, and because it is not public. But, mediation is voluntary and, if the parties don't come to an agreement with the assistance of the neutral mediator, there is nothing from the mediation that can be enforced. That leaves the parties with a lawsuit or, if the parties agree (or if the contract provides for it) arbitration might be used instead of a lawsuit. Arbitration is often (but not always) less expensive. But, it will be confidential, whereas a lawsuit is a public matter. My dispute resolution provisions often include a stepped approach. Before a party is entitled to sue or initiate arbitration, they have to try to work it out between themselves for a specified period of time. Failing that, often I provide that mediation must be the next step. Only after that, if resolution by mediation fails, is arbitration or a lawsuit permitted. A good dispute resolution provision should include a number of other provisions, including: governing law, location of the proceeding (venue), forum (e.g., federal or state court, or AAA or JAMS as the arbitrator), number of arbitrators if applicable, rules of evidence and other rules in an arbitration if applicable, waiver of procedural defenses to venue and forum, a "loser pays" provision (or not), possibly a cap on "damages" (money the loser must pay), a contract-based statute of limitations, a finality provision (no appeals allowed), how and where an award under arbitration can be enforced ... among other considerations. Also, in many cases you will want a carefully prepared "equitable remedies" provision that is separate from any other dispute resolution provisions. This would allow a party to go to a court to ask the court not for money, but for force the other party to do or not do something. This often covers things like confidentiality, non-disparagement, indemnification, misuse by one party of property owned by the other, or other situations where payment of money is not applicable or won't be enough. Finally, these days, it is not a bad idea to include a specific provision allowing remote proceedings during any time and place where governing authorities have declared a health emergency related to a contagion ... or even just where an in-person proceeding can fairly be substituted with technology like Zoom to help keep costs down and otherwise for general convenience of the parties and "judicial economy."

Amending a contract, including an independent contractor agreement, usually takes three main steps: First, to amend a contract, the parties must usually agree to new terms. This sometimes requires the parties to negotiate. Second, when the parties to an agreement memorialize it in a written contract, they typically must also sign a written document to amend it. This means that they will need to draft an amendment that accurately reflects the proposed amendment(s). Third, once the parties have drafted an amendment that they are comfortable with, each will sign and will usually receive a signed copy of the fully executed contract amendment. However, note that amending some contracts can be much more complex. For assistance with negotiating or drafting a contract amendment, including for an independent contractor agreement, you should contact a knowledgeable attorney practicing in the appropriate jurisdiction. [I am licensed to practice law by the state of North Carolina.]

I suggest you place a proposal on this forum so lawyers can review and you can schedule a consultation. A lawyer needs to review the terms of the contract you reference.

There is no requirement for confidentiality in ANY type of contract; this is a negotiated term, like all other terms in any contract (except that in some instances, such as WA State Residential Landlord/Tenant contracts, state law may supercede terms in a lease that would violate the law). As far as breach of a confidentiality term (or any other term) in a contract, often the contract itself will state what the consequences may be for a breach - however, if this is not specified, the other party could sue for breach of contract - what a court may decide to award would generally be based on the amount of damages the Plaintiff incurred by having the breach occur. If you are considering buying a business, I urge you to have all paperwork, your business plan, your finances, and all other important documents and information reviewed by a business attorney prior to signing anything at all.