Let’s be honest. Nobody enjoys paying for insurance, but we do so because it’s a necessarily evil. We understand that the risk of not paying for insurance can be costly in the event of an emergency.

The same can be said for legal advice. Litigation fees can cost tens-of-thousands of dollars. Sometimes more.

So why do business owners avoid paying for legal services when the risk of not doing so is significant? The answer is simple. It usually comes down to cost.

Entrepreneurs, business owners, and HR representatives often attempt to write contracts on their own in an attempt to save money and time. Utilizing legal advice websites and cookie-cutter contracts have become common practice in the business world.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry (CCCBI) hosted a Women-in-Business (WIB) seminar titled “Contract Drafting From a Litigator’s Perspective” to address some of these concerns.

A team of six female Fox Rothschild litigation attorneys warned attendees that avoiding legal advice is one of the biggest financial risks one can take.

From the importance of avoiding ambiguity to drafting restrictive covenants and including forum selection clauses, each panelist offered simple tips for drafting iron-clad contracts during the two-hour lunchtime seminar.

The overarching message of the day was that cookie-cutter contracts are rarely iron-clad and provide too many loopholes that won’t hold up in court. Since contracts are often one-sided and courts only read what is written in a document without room for interpretation, clients should lower their risk of litigation and save money by involving attorneys anytime a new contract is drafted.

The lunchtime event was the second in a series of four legal seminars designed to address key topics in the field of litigation.

In May, “Unruh Turner Burke & Frees provided insight on a variety of workplace issues including, sexual harassment, disability discrimination and FMLA, retaliation, and social media,” according to the CCCBI website.

The CCCBI hosts WIB events throughout the year, offering local businesswomen an opportunity to network with others while attending informative business-focused advice seminars.

To view a list of upcoming CCCBI WIB events, click here.

To learn more about Fox Rothschild, click here.