Business Law in Shelby County
Business Contracts and Contract Review in Columbiana, Alabama
A handshake deal works right up until it does not. Carden Legal Services drafts business contracts for the deals Shelby County and Central Alabama owners actually make, in plain language, and reviews the contracts other people hand you before you sign them. Service agreements, vendor and supplier contracts, independent contractor agreements, confidentiality and non-compete terms, commercial leases. Grady Carden reads every word himself and tells you the fee before anything starts.
Three situations that bring owners to this page
You need your own agreements.
You are quoting work, hiring subcontractors, or signing up customers on a form you pieced together from the internet. You want agreements that fit your business and hold up.
Someone handed you a contract to sign.
A lease, a vendor agreement, a franchise document, a customer's master services agreement. It is long, it was written by their attorney, and you want to know what you are agreeing to before you sign it.
A deal has gone sideways.
The other side is not paying, not performing, or reading the contract differently than you do. We tell you where you stand under what was signed and what your options are.
CONTRACTS WE DRAFT
Contracts written for the deal you are actually making
Every agreement starts with how your business works, not with a form. These are the contracts we draft most often for Shelby County businesses.
01
Service agreements
For contractors, consultants, trades, medical and professional practices, and anyone who does work for a customer. Scope, price, payment schedule, change orders, and what happens when the customer does not pay.
02
Vendor and supplier agreements
Pricing, delivery, quality standards, and remedies when a supplier misses. Including the terms your vendor's paperwork tries to impose on you.
03
Independent contractor agreements
Scope, payment, ownership of the work, confidentiality, and the terms that help keep a contractor relationship from being treated as employment. We coordinate the classification question with your CPA.
04
Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
For hiring, for bringing on a partner, for talking to a buyer or investor. Written to protect what is actually confidential and nothing more, so they are enforceable.
05
Non-compete and non-solicitation agreements
Drafted within Alabama's Restrictive Covenants Act so they hold up: a protectable interest, reasonable time and territory, and the written consideration the statute requires.
06
Customer terms and conditions
The standing terms that go with your quotes, invoices, website, or booking system, so every customer is on the same agreement without a signature every time.
07
Commercial lease review and negotiation
Landlords draft leases for landlords. Before you sign for a storefront, office, or shop, we read it for personal guarantees, maintenance obligations, renewal terms, and exit rights.
08
Purchase and sale terms
Letters of intent, purchase orders, and the agreement to buy or sell equipment, inventory, or a business. For buying or selling a whole company, see Buying, Selling, or Closing a Business
09
Amendments and renewals
When the deal changes, the contract should too. Short, clear amendments that keep the original agreement intact.
Read it before you sign it
Most business contracts are written by the other side's attorney for the other side's benefit. That is not sinister; it is their job. Your job is to know what the document says before it binds you, and an hour with an attorney before signing costs a fraction of what the same hour costs afterward.
When you send us a contract, we read all of it, including the exhibits and the terms incorporated by reference that nobody opens. Then we walk you through it in plain English and give you three things: a summary of what you are agreeing to, a list of the provisions worth pushing back on, and the language to propose instead. If you want us to negotiate directly with the other side, we can scope that too.
What we look for
Payment terms, timing, and what triggers late fees or interest
How either side can terminate, and what it costs to leave
Personal guarantees hiding in business contracts
Automatic renewal and notice deadlines
Who bears the loss when something goes wrong: indemnity, liability caps, insurance requirements
Warranties you are giving without realizing it
Non-compete, non-solicitation, and confidentiality terms and whether they are enforceable
Governing law, venue, and whether you have agreed to arbitrate
Whether the person signing actually has authority to bind the company
What Alabama law says
Three Alabama rules every business owner should know
Some contracts must be in writing. Alabama's statute of frauds requires a signed writing for agreements that cannot be performed within one year, for sales and leases of real estate, for promises to pay another person's debt, and for sales of goods priced at $500 or more. Other contracts can be oral and still binding, which is exactly why they are so hard to enforce: the fight becomes about what was said, not what was signed.
Electronic signatures count. Under Alabama's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, an electronic signature has the same legal effect as ink when the parties have agreed to deal electronically. A contract signed through a reputable e-signature platform satisfies the writing and signature requirements. What matters is that the record is kept.
Non-competes are enforceable, within limits. Since 2016, Alabama's Restrictive Covenants Act has set the rules. A non-compete or non-solicitation must be in writing, signed, supported by consideration, and tied to a protectable interest. Two years or less is presumed reasonable for a non-compete, 18 months or less for a customer non-solicitation, and one year or less for a restriction connected to the sale of a business. A court can narrow an overbroad restriction rather than throw it out, and certain professionals generally cannot be bound by one. An agreement drafted outside those lines is a promise you may not be able to keep the other side to.
CONTRACTS WE DRAFT
Eight questions a good contract answers before anyone asks
Use this as a self-check on anything you have signed or are about to.
01
Who are the parties?
The correct legal names of the companies, not the owners personally, unless a personal guarantee is intended.
02
What exactly is being done or delivered?
Scope specific enough that "that is not what we agreed" cannot happen.
03
What does it cost and when is it paid?
Amounts, due dates, deposits, late charges, and what stops the work if payment stops.
04
How long does it last and how does it end?
Term, renewal, notice periods, and termination for convenience versus for cause.
05
What happens when something goes wrong?
Warranties, cure periods, indemnity, liability limits, and insurance.
06
Who owns what is created?
Work product, designs, data, and the right to use the other side's name.
07
Where and how are disputes resolved?
Governing law, venue, mediation or arbitration, and who pays attorney fees.
08
Who has authority to sign?
The right title on the signature line so the company, not the individual, is bound. For LLCs, this is set by the operating agreement.
Fees and how it works
Fees explained before work begins Business formation at Carden Legal Services is generally handled on a flat-fee basis. The fee depends on the entity and the documents it needs, and you will know it before any drafting starts. State filing fees are separate and are passed through at cost. Complex ownership structures may require a different arrangement, and that is discussed up front.
What to expect
Send the document or describe the deal. For a review, send the contract ahead through the contact form so it is read before you talk. For drafting, a short call about how your business works is enough to start.
Get a fee and a timeline. Quoted after the first look, before any work begins.
Review the draft or the summary together. By Google Meet, by phone, or in person by appointment in Columbiana, Alabaster, or Calera. Every question gets a plain-English answer.
Sign with confidence. You leave knowing what the document says, what you negotiated, and what to watch for while the contract is in force.
Frequently asked questions
Do business contracts in Alabama have to be in writing?
Many do not, which is part of the problem: an oral agreement can be binding and still impossible to prove. Alabama law does require a signed writing for certain contracts, including agreements that cannot be performed within one year, sales or leases of real estate, promises to pay someone else's debt, and sales of goods priced at $500 or more. For everything else, a written contract is not legally required but is the only reliable evidence of what was agreed.
Are electronic signatures valid on Alabama business contracts?
Yes. Under Alabama's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, an electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one when the parties have agreed to do business electronically. A contract signed through a reputable e-signature platform satisfies Alabama's writing and signature requirements.
Are non-compete agreements enforceable in Alabama?
Within limits. Alabama's Restrictive Covenants Act allows a non-compete or non-solicitation agreement only when it is in writing, signed, supported by consideration, and protects a legitimate business interest such as trade secrets, confidential information, or customer relationships. A non-compete of two years or less is presumed reasonable, a customer non-solicitation of 18 months or less is presumed reasonable, and a restriction tied to the sale of a business is presumed reasonable at one year or less. Courts can narrow an overbroad restriction, and some professionals cannot be bound by one at all.
What does a contract review include?
We read the entire document, then walk you through it: what you are agreeing to do, what the other side is agreeing to do, how and when you get paid, how either side can end the agreement, who bears the risk if something goes wrong, and which terms are unusual or one-sided. You leave with a plain-English summary, a list of the provisions worth negotiating, and suggested language for each.
Can I use a contract template I found online?
You can, and many of our clients did before they called. The usual problems are that the template was written for another state's law, does not match the deal you are actually making, and leaves out the terms that matter most when something goes wrong: payment timing, termination, liability limits, and dispute resolution. A template is a starting point for a conversation, not a finished contract.
How much does it cost to have a contract drafted or reviewed?
Most contract drafting and review at Carden Legal Services is handled on a flat-fee basis, quoted after a short look at the document or the deal. The fee is explained before any work begins. Negotiating back and forth with the other side's attorney, if you want that, is scoped separately.
Ask before you sign, not after.
Call (205) 201-1297
or schedule a consultation. Tell us what the business does, who owns it, and where you want it to be in five years. We will tell you which entity fits and what it takes to set it up.
No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
Carden Legal Services, LLC serves clients in the following Alabama locations: Birmingham, Alabaster, Helena, Pelham, Jefferson County, Shelby County, Chilton County, Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka, Tuskegee, Selma, Troy, Greenville, Autauga County, Montgomery County, Elmore County, Tri-County Region, River Region, Central Alabama, Alabama statewide.