Is this in your contract?

I wanted to quickly chat today about something I see ALL THE TIME missing or incorrect in contracts - especially those that 'borrow' language from an online template.  

What is it? JURISDICTION.

And that is a fancy way of saying where your business is located and what laws are ruling the contract.  

A big red flag of an incorrectly drafted contract?  "This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the United States."  

Nope. Why?

Because contracts are ruled by the State/Territory where your business is located - not the entire country.  

So double check your client agreement and make sure you have this very important clause in there - if something goes wrong and you end up in court - not having this jurisdictional issue clear could add to the already huge headache!