I recently noticed a LinkedIn post by Saul Lieberman. It’s about the ostensible differences between indemnify, defend, and hold harmless. In a comment (here) to his own post, Saul mentions Chesterton’s fence. I was happy to be reminded of it.
Adams Contacts Consulting LLC
Guiding companies around the world, Adams Contracts Consulting LLC develops clear effective templated contracts. Automating templates, through an annotated online questionnaire is just one way they assist companies save time, money, and reduce risk. Acknowledged internationally as the leading authority on contract language, Ken Adams the president and founder, developed the groundwork of the company’s efforts through his extensive expertise.
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“Is Not Prohibited From”: I’ve Changed My Mind!
By Ken Adams
In the post before this one, I consider, among other sentences, Acme is not prohibited from selling the Widgets. I’ve now changed my mind about how it should be treated. This story begins with my saying Nothing in this agreement…
Whether Discretion and Obligation Arise Under the Contract or Reflect the World at Large
By Ken Adams
Consider this sentence from a contract between Acme and Widgetco: Acme may sell the Widgets. Does it mean that under the contract, Acme has the discretion to sell the widgets? Or is Acme asserting the fact that nothing in the…
Breaking Down a Sentence in ISO 24495-2
By Ken Adams
The post before this one (here) is my critique of ISO 24495-2:2025 (Plain language — Part 2: Legal communication), published by ISO (the International Organization for Standardization). In that post, I say the writing in ISO 24495-2 is clumsy, and…
ISO 24495-2: ISO Makes a Wrong Turn into Legal Writing
By Ken Adams
In August 2025, ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) published ISO 24495-2:2025 (Plain language — Part 2: Legal communication). Here’s how ISO describes ISO 24495-2: This document deals with legal communication, and it builds on the foundation for plain language…
Is It Time Again for Public In-Person “Drafting Clearer Contracts” Presentations That Are Hosted?
By Ken Adams
It might be time to try in-person public Drafting Clearer Contracts presentations using an innovative model that worked well before the pandemic. Used to do in-person public Drafting Clearer Contracts presentations in partnership with some other organization. My partners arranged…
I’ve Scheduled the First “Drafting Clearer Contracts” Training for 2026
By Ken Adams
When? I’ve scheduled the first two series of Drafting Clearer Contracts: Masterclass for 2026. One begins on Wednesday, 21 January 2026, at 11:00 a.m. ET; the second begins on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, at noon ET. And I’ve scheduled one…
Are You in a Dispute Over Confusing Contract Language? I’m Probably Your Guy
By Ken Adams
Sporadically, I’m hired to help people in a fight over confusing contract language. That kind of work isn’t my bread and butter, but I should do a lot more of it. Many courts are bad at making sense of confusing…
Who’s Responsible for the Blowhard’s Initial Capital? The Legalistic Mind, or Academia?
By Ken Adams
I’ve explained elsewhere that it’s inane to use an initial capital A in a contract’s references to that contract (as in this Agreement). Go here for my 2018 blog post on; for the definitive take, see MSCD. But I’ve been…
More on Time Zones and References to Time in Contracts
By Ken Adams
One of the joys of scholarship is that it offers plenty of opportunity for you to be a doofus. I’ve taken advantage of that over the years. It goes with the territory: if your scholarship is worth anything, it will…