Most written agreements end off with a number of “boilerplate” clauses, being the small print that is usually glossed over. These are standardised clauses which deal with general matters and appear in most contracts, regardless of whether the specific agreement concerns a simple sale of apples or the manufacture of jet planes worth billions of rands.
Examples include clauses about severability, the whole agreement, variation, disputes, jurisdiction and so on.
These clauses are often clumsily drafted in high legalese. For the sake of covering all bases, they may go on much longer than is strictly necessary.
This series of updates seeks to decode the legalese in some of the most common boilerplate clauses.
Towards the end of most agreements, one comes across words to the following effect under the heading “SEVERABILITY“:
Except as expressly provided to the contrary herein, each paragraph, clause, term, and provision of this AGREEMENT…
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