Every estimate, agreement, receipt, and cancelled check is a legal document, and may eventually end up in the hands of a judge. If you are in the business of providing goods or services to customers you should think about how you prepare estimates and invoices. Try to make them as clear as possible. In a recent case my client gave me an invoice that caused problems at trial. One item read like this: .....Rehang/replace/repair ceiling fan in LR...$530.00 The judge was unsure whether the contractor rehanged, repaired, or replaced the ceiling fan from that writing, so she carved that portion out of the invoice and we didnt get it. She was also unsure about one of the billing categories labeled as Trade which accounted for $560.00 of the invoice. The judge was unsure of what that meant, and she didnt assign much value to my explanation, so she carved that out too. The case was a win, but it would have been $1,090 sweeter if that invoice had been written more clearly. Remember that all documents are legal documents. Every writing used in any transaction may be required to show a judge what happened, so prepare and review those documents accordingly. A good, hard working judge is doing what the law requires to protect the interests of both parties, so dont take anything for granted. This is for information only, and not to be construed as legal advice, but if you need legal advice you should consider contacting a lawyer. Ross Keeling Keeling Law Office (785) 424-0456.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 15:16:31 +0000
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