第二部分：開始起草合同 　7、Start with a simple, generic contract form. The form in Appendix A is such a form. It provides a solid starting point for the structure of the contract. Like a house, a contract must have a good, solid foundation.

　7、從簡單、的典型的合同入手。附錄A就是一個簡單、的典型的合同，它提供了一個合同的基本支架。像房子一樣，一個合同必須有一個牢固的根基。

　8、State the correct legal names of the parties in the first paragraph. As obvious as this is, it is one of the most common problems in contracts. For individuals, include full first and last name, and middle initials if available, and other identifying information, if appropriate, such as Jr., M.D., etc. For corporations, check with the Secretary of State where incorporated.報關員考試

　8、在合同的第一段要寫清楚雙方的名稱，這是個簡單而又不得不引起重視的問題。如果是個人，要寫清姓和名,中間有大寫字母和其他身份信息的，也要注明，例如：jr.,M.D等等;如果是公司，為避免弄錯，寫名稱時可以到公司注冊地的相應機構去核對一下。

　9、Identify the parties by nicknames. Giving each party a nickname in the first paragraph will make the contract easier to read. For example, James W. Martin would be nicknamed "Martin."

　9、確定合同雙方的別稱(簡稱)。為便于閱讀，一般要在合同的第一段為雙方弄一個別稱，如：將詹姆士.馬丁簡寫為“馬丁”。

　10、Be careful when using legal terms for nicknames. Do not use "Contractor" as a nickname unless that party is legally a contractor. Do not use "Agent" unless you intend for that party to be an agent, and if you do, then you better specify the scope of authority and other agency issues to avoid future disagreements.

　10、使用法定術語作為雙方當事人的別稱時，要小心。除非一方當事人在法定上就是承包人，否則不要將“承包人”作為其別稱。同樣，除非你想讓一方當事人成為法定上的代理人，否則不要稱其為“代理人”，如果堅持要用，最好明確一下代理范圍并找到其他可以避免將來爭執的方案。

　11、Include a blank for the date in the first paragraph. Putting the date in the first paragraph makes it easy to find after the contract is signed. It also makes it easy to describe the contract in other documents in a precise way, such as the "December 20, 2000, Contract for Sale of Real Estate."

　11、在合同的第一段要為書寫簽約時間留下空格。把簽約時間放在第一段，當合同簽署后，你就能夠很容易地找到它，而且，這樣做還可以給你在其他相關文件中準確地描述這個合同提供幫助，范例如：不動產買賣合同，訂立于2000年12月20日

　12.、Include to provide background. Recitals are the "whereas" clauses that precede the body of a contract. They provide a simple way to bring the contract's reader (party, judge or jury) up to speed on what the contract is about, who the parties are, why they are signing a contract, etc. The first paragraph in the body of the contract can incorporate the recitals by reference and state that they are true and correct. This will avoid a later argument as to whether or not the recitals are a legally binding part of the contract.

　12、書寫引述語。引述語是指那些放在合同主體前面的“鑒于”條款。書寫此類條款的目的是為了讓讀者(通常指合同雙方，法官，陪審團)很快地了解到合同的主要內容是什么，合同雙方是誰，以及他們為什么簽訂合同，等等。當然，合同主體的第一段也可以加上引述語并陳述其是真實準確的，如果這樣做了，合同雙方將來就不會爭執：引述語作為合同的一部分是否具有法律效力?

　13、Outline the contract by writing out and underlining paragraph headings in their logical order. The paragraphs should flow in logical, organized fashion. It is not necessary to write them all at once; you can write them as you think of them. Try to group related concepts in the same paragraphs or in adjacent paragraphs. For example, write an employment contract's initial paragraph headings like this:

　Recitals.

　Employment.

　Duties.

　Term.

　Compensation.

　13、按邏輯順序列出合同段落的標題詞。合同的段落是按一定的邏輯順序組織起來的，當然，你并不需要一下子列出所有段落的標題詞，想到多少就寫多少，不過，這些標題詞要力求總結出每個段落或相關段落的內容。比如：撰寫勞動合同時列出的標題詞就像下面這些：引述語，聘用，職責，期限，賠償。

[1] [2]