Jusletter IT

In the crafting of commercial contracts, many participants are involved, often business managers and lawyers from several countries and cultural and professional backgrounds. The challenge, then, is to achieve a balance between the different business and legal requirements and to facilitate communication and coordination. While some contracts may need to work as evidence in court, most contracts don’t. Commercial contracts are not made primarily for legal purposes; they are made for the parties so they get the results they want to accomplish. Once the contract is made, people in the field need to know what they are expected to do and refrain from doing. A visual approach has tremendous potential in improving the understandability and usability of contracts and in facilitating cross-professional communication from lawyers to management and delivery teams – and vice versa. The ability to visualise contracts and draw a map of the legal landscape can assist both lawyers and clients to make better decisions and engage in co-learning and collaboration required for today’s contracting success.