Learn How to Write a Contract

Name: Learn How to Write a Contract
Rating: 4.3 (59 reviews)

Practice contract drafting: offer, acceptance, consideration, clear clauses, and contract review

Created byAustin Megli

Last updated 10/2026

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Students will learn how to write a contract
Students will learn about contract law
Students will practice drafting contracts
Students will learn how to negotiate contract terms

Course content

4 sections • 13 lectures • 1h 3m total length

What Is A "Contract?"4:13
Explain what a contract is and distinguish a business expectation from a legal obligation. After watching, write a two-sentence example of a proposed agreement: identify each party, the promised performance, and one fact you would need before deciding whether the agreement is enforceable. Keep this example for the formation lessons that follow.
Parts Of A Contract4:07
Identify the parties, operative promises, key dates, and signature blocks in an agreement. Practice: outline a one-page service contract using headings for scope, payment, changes, termination, and signatures. Under each heading, list one unanswered question before drafting.
What Constitutes An Offer?2:37
Distinguish a proposed offer from an invitation to negotiate. Practice: write a proposed offer for a freelance project, then identify the parties, scope, price, and response deadline. Explain which facts or wording might make the communication preliminary rather than a commitment.
All About Acceptance2:01
Explain how acceptance communicates agreement to an offer. Practice: compare “I accept your proposed terms” with “I agree if you reduce the price.” Describe how the second response changes the proposed agreement, and identify any applicable rules you would need to research for the transaction.
Is There Consideration?5:10
Identify what each party gives or promises in a bargain. Practice: map the exchanged promises in a paid service agreement, then compare them with a promise of a gift. Explain why identifying the exchange is a useful first step without assuming that every promise is enforceable.
Understanding Contracts

Outline of Drafting a Contract4:22
Translate a business deal into a drafting outline. Practice: prepare a deal sheet containing the correct party names, scope, deliverables, price, timing, approval process, and exit plan. Mark assumptions and missing facts before turning the outline into clauses.
Drafting Principles5:22
Apply clear organization, consistent terminology, and specific obligations to contract writing. Practice: revise “The provider will do everything needed promptly” into an obligation identifying the responsible party, deliverable, deadline, and acceptance process. Compare the practical meaning before and after revision.
Body of the Contract6:03
Connect operational terms to the parties’ actual workflow. Practice: follow a deliverable from request through completion, review, payment, and possible revision. Check that each stage has a responsible party and that the payment and termination provisions do not contradict the performance terms.
Word Choice in Contracts2:05
Recognize how vague words and inconsistent definitions create uncertainty. Practice: replace “soon,” “reasonable fee,” and “as needed” with measurable terms or a stated decision process. Explain one tradeoff: greater precision can improve clarity but must still fit the business relationship.
Word Choice
Practice Drafting a Contract
Practice Drafting a Sale of Goods Contract

Voiding a Contract2:37
Distinguish questions about formation, enforceability, and available remedies. Practice: create a fact checklist for a disputed agreement rather than declaring it automatically void. Identify the governing law, alleged defect, supporting evidence, and remedy sought.
Defenses to the Enforcement of a Contract6:19
Identify facts that could support a defense and questions requiring further research. Practice: choose a hypothetical involving pressure, misrepresentation, or capacity, separate facts from conclusions, and identify two additional facts needed. Explain why a suspected defense does not by itself resolve the dispute.
Voiding a Contract and Defenses to Enforcement
Fill in the Blank Assignment on Voiding a Contract and Defenses to Enforcement

Contract Checklist15:16
Use a checklist to review an agreement systematically. Practice: review a draft for party identity, scope, payment, deadlines, changes, termination, notices, dispute terms, and signatures. Mark each item complete, unclear, or missing, then prioritize the three revisions that most affect performance.
Applied Workshop: Draft, Revise, and Review a Service Contract2:59
Applied Knowledge Check: Clear Contract Drafting

Requirements

Description

Turn a business agreement into clear, organized writing. Learn How to Write a Contract introduces the building blocks of contract formation and a practical process for drafting and reviewing an agreement. It is designed for entrepreneurs, business students, professionals, and beginning legal learners who want to understand what a contract says and identify questions that deserve further research.

Start with offer, acceptance, and consideration, then explore the parts of a contract and the decisions that shape an effective draft. Lessons address drafting principles, the body of the agreement, word choice, and common defenses to enforcement. You will practice connecting each party's responsibilities to specific deliverables, deadlines, and payment terms rather than relying on vague promises.

The course includes quizzes, drafting assignments, and a contract checklist. Use these opportunities to test your understanding, draft a service agreement, work through a sale-of-goods scenario, and compare your choices with the provided examples. As you work, consider how an agreement handles changes, performance problems, and the end of the relationship.

By the end, you should be better prepared to organize a draft, recognize ambiguous language, explain basic formation concepts, and use a checklist to identify missing terms. No prior legal training is required; bring a willingness to revise your writing and think carefully about business expectations.

Examples are educational and primarily use U.S. legal concepts. Applicable rules vary by jurisdiction and transaction. The course does not provide individualized legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. A sample contract should be adapted and reviewed before real-world use.

Who this course is for:

Business Professionals
Entrepreneurs
Contract Negotiators
Contract Drafters
Paralegals
Law Students

Learn How to Write a Contract

What you'll learn

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Course content

What is a "Contract?"5 lectures • 18min

Drafting the Contract4 lectures • 18min

Voiding a Contract and Defenses to Enforcement2 lectures • 9min

Contract Checklist Resource2 lectures • 18min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: