The requirements of a contract are consideration, offer and acceptance, legal purpose, qualified parties, and mutual consent. When any of the required elements are missing, flawed or irregular, the contract may be void, voidable or unenforceable. The five requirements for creating a valid contract are an offer, acceptance, consideration, competence and legal intent. Judicial Education Center1 University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM 87131-0001. While there are instances where verbal contracts are acceptable and binding, the preferred form of a contract is in writing.
Usually, there will be no contract if the parties agree “subject to the contract”, but they never fully agree to the terms of the contract. It is not possible to use a contract to impose an enforceable obligation on someone who is not a party to the contract. This phrase normally applies to mutuality or intention and simply means that all parties involved in the contract actually intended to create a valid and enforceable contract. A valid contract requires an offer to be accepted, whereas an invitation to deal is not an essential element of a contract.
To determine if your contract should be in writing or if you need to draft a contract, you should consult with a contract lawyer. While the Fraud Statute requires certain types of contracts to be in writing, New Mexico recognizes and enforces oral contracts in some situations where the Fraud Statute does not apply. Although there are many other components that a contract can have, there are five requirements for a document to be a legal contract. However, you should keep in mind that the classic doctrine of contract formation has been modified by the evolution of the law of impediment, deceptive conduct, misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and power of acceptance.
If either party fails to do so, the opposing party can sue for breach of contract and have the contract legally enforced. The contract must comply with the requirement of implied and express legal legality and common law legality. When a party files a breach of contract lawsuit, the judge must first answer the question of whether or not there was a contract between the parties in the first place. In fact, a valid contract is made up of several elements and, if any of the required elements are omitted, the contract could be considered invalid and unable to be enforced.
