Email your questions to stf@franklinlawtx.com

"Back in my day we could handle this on handshake".  That's a nice story we tell ourselves about how honest and upright people used to be.  The truth is much different.  The Statute of Frauds was enacted in England in 1677, was the law in the English Colonies prior to the Revolutionary War, and every state in the United States (including Texas) has a statute based upon the Statute of Frauds codified in law.  No living person has ever been able to rely on a simple handshake deal.  In Texas, unwritten contracts are governed by the Business and Commerce Code.  So your "handshake deal" is actually a written contract governed by the terms decided upon by the Texas Legislature in Austin without your direct input.  Please do not rely on the myth of the handshake deal; call me to discuss how to draft your contract.

I help clients resolve the following issues:

• Negotiate and draft new contracts

• Reduce oral contracts to a writing

• Review and advise on existing contracts

• Modify existing contracts

• Terminate existing contracts