With the growing number of documents written in English that pass almost daily through our hands, Spanish-speaking jurists can even get to ask themselves what is more important, have knowledge of law or English?

 

Obviously, what a lawyer should know, above all, it's the law, but due to the spread of Common Law at the international level, knowing English is an indispensable tool for practise in this area.

 

On contracts Common Law is very similar to our system (continental law), in this area there are no major differences as in the field of procedural or inheritance law. But nevertheless, there are issues of significant importance to consider. In practice we find often the terms "contract" and "agreement" to refer the same document, so it is important to distinguish them, because the terms are used as equivalents erroneously.

 

In the Common Law the word "contract" means an agreement enforceable whose performance may be enforce in court, while an "agreement" would be a concert between the parties that may or may not have components and fundamentals needed to give force executive. Anglo-saxon lawyers often use the term "agreement" to refer to the agreement to formalize the contract.

 

Entering the content of the contract, as we all know, the clauses included in a contract may be varied because of the principle of autonomy also recognized in Anglo-Saxon systems with the term "liberity of contract". However the formalism of Common law in this area leads us to a very common type of clauses, "the boilerplate clauses", suited for all types of contracts. The most commonly used could be:

 

• Amendment: Which provides the means by which the parties are entitled to make changes to the contract.

 

• Assignement: Used to refer to the rights and obligations of the parties as to the ability to assign or transmit it.

 

• Arbitration: to provide an alternative to litigation.

 

•Confidentiality: This guarantees that the parties will not disclose certain information.

 

• Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999: This statute allows a third party (i.e. a person who is not a party to the contract) to enforce a term of the contract in two situations, firstly if the contract expresses this ability, or secondly if it is apparent that the contract gives him some kind of benefit.

 

•Entire Agreement: the contract will supersede any previous agreements and understandings between the parties, and therefore avoids the risk of any agreement made orally or in writing prior to the execution of the written contract being interpreted as being part of the legal contract between the parties.

 

• Force Majeure: A clause which prevents the parties to a contract from being liable in the event that circumstances outside their control stop them from being able to undertake their obligations under the contract.

 

• Interpretation: That provides precise meanings to the terms of contract.

 

• Law and Jurisdiction: Determines the law governing the contract and jurisdiction.

 

•Limitations on damages: This sets a cap or otherwise limits the types of damages that may be awarded in a contract dispute.

 

• Notices: Provision indicating how to communicate the parties.

 

• Set Off: Clause that prevents one party from deducting money owed from money payable to the other party, in other words giving themselves a ‘self-awarded discount’..

 

• Severance and Invalidity: This will enable the parties to eliminate a clause or word that is illegal, invalid or unenforceable.

 

• Terminations: Which establishes the ways in which the contractual relationship may come to an end.

 

•Warranties: These are promises and assurances made by each party regarding various contract obligations.

 

All these stipulations are usually placed at the end of the contract to regulate standardized questions, so the contract will have a number of specific clauses depending on the subject and boilerplate clauses under the heading "General", "Other matters" or " Miscellaneous.

 

Ana María Riera Alajarín, lawyer in Pedrós Abogados.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviamente, lo que un abogado debe saber, por encima de todo, es Derecho, pero debido a la difusión del Derecho anglosajón en el plano internacional, saber inglés es una herramienta imprescindible para poder actuar en ese ámbito.

 

En materia de contratos el Common Law es un sistema muy similar al nuestro, en este campo no existen grandes diferencias como en el campo del derecho procesal o sucesorio. Pero sin embargo, hay cuestiones de relevante importancia a tener en cuenta. En la práctica nos resulta frecuente encontrar los términos “contract” y “agreement” para referirse al documento del contrato, por ello es importante saber diferenciarlos, ya que erróneamente se emplean de forma equivalente.

 

En el Common Law la palabra “contract” se refiere a un pacto con fuerza ejecutiva cuyo cumplimiento puede hacerse valer ante un tribunal, mientras que un “agreement” sería un concierto entre las partes que puede tener o no componentes y fundamentos necesarios para otorgarle fuerza ejecutiva. Los juristas sajones suelen utilizar el término “agreement” para referirse al acuerdo previo a la formalización del contrato.

 

Entrando en el contenido del contrato, como todos sabemos, las cláusulas que componen un contrato pueden ser de lo más variadas ya que se aplica el principio de la autonomía de la voluntad, reconocido también en los sistemas anglosajones y denominado como “liberity of contract”. Aun así el formalismo del derecho anglosajón en este campo nos lleva a una serie de cláusulas tipo de uso muy frecuente: “the boilerplate clauses”, apropiadas para todo tipo de contratos. Las más utilizadas podrían ser las siguientes:

 

Amendment: La cual incluye una enmienda para proporcionar a las partes medios para introducir cambios en el contrato.

 

Assignement: Utilizada para referirse a los derechos y obligaciones de las partes en cuanto a la posibilidad de cederlos o transmitirlos.

 

Arbitration: Introducida para que las posibles controversias sean resueltas mediante arbitraje.

 

Confidentiality: Garantiza que las partes no revelen cierta información. 

 

Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act. 1999: Cláusula que regula los derechos de terceros conforme a la Ley “Act.1999”.

 

Entire Agreement: Limita todos los derechos y obligaciones de las partes únicamente a las disposiciones contenidas en el contrato y cualquier anexo adjunto.

 

Force Majeure: Cláusula que impide a las partes de un contrato ser responsables en caso de fuerza mayor, en aplicación de la “legal doctrine of frustation”.

 

Interpretation: Estipulación que proporciona significados precisos para los elementos del contrato.

 

Law and Jurisdiction: Determina la ley que rige el contrato y la jurisdicción competente.

 

Limitations on damages: limita los daños que pueden ser imputados en una disputa contractual. 

 

Notices: Disposición que indica cómo deben comunicarse las partes.

 

Set off: Cláusula que impide las compensaciones entre las partes del contrato por otros derechos y obligaciones asumidos con anterioridad.

 

Severance and Invalidity: Permitirá a las partes eliminar una cláusula o incluso palabra que sea ilegal, inválida o inaplicable.

 

Terminations: Establece las formas en que la relación contractual puede llegar a su fin.

 

Warranties: Las promesas y garantías hechas por cada parte en relación con diversas obligaciones contractuales.

 

Todas estas estipulaciones se colocan normalmente al final del contrato para regular cuestiones estandarizadas, por lo que el contrato dispondrá de una serie de cláusulas específicas dependiendo de la materia que trate, y agrupadas bajo el epígrafe de “General”, “Other matters” o “Miscellaneous” las denominadas “boilerplate clauses”.

 

Ana María Riera Alajarín, abogada en Pedrós Abogados.