Law on general terms and conditions

Most of the contracts and other agreements or individual clauses that are used in business are general terms and conditions, even if they are not in “small print”. Pre-formulated clauses setting down general terms and conditions simplify and accelerate the process of concluding agreements and standardising their content, regularly to the benefit of the user.

General terms and conditions are subject to tight controls, particularly vis-à-vis consumers, both in legal and subsequently in judicial terms. The assessment as to whether general terms and conditions are at hand and are an effective integral part of the contract, therefore presupposes detailed knowledge of current statutes and legislation.

In the area of the law on general terms and conditions, we are active as follows:

• Drafting special terms and conditions (e.g. terms and conditions of sale and delivery, terms of purchase), in several languages if required;
• Updating existing general terms and conditions;
• Advising on the effective inclusion of general terms and conditions through corresponding reference to business documents or when shopping online;
• Blocking third-party general terms and conditions;
• Reviewing the effectiveness of model contracts as general terms and conditions;
• Drafting individual contractual provisions to avoid the strict control of the general terms and conditions.