Can Handshake & Verbal Agreements Be Enforced?

Posted October 12, 2026 in Media

Transcript:

00:00:03

[music] >> Verbal agreements, oral agreements, side agreements, any type of agreement outside of a formal written and signed contract often can be enforceable. Now, there are some exceptions, you know, there’s this thing called a statute of frauds, which does require some agreements to be in writing and signed, such as like a land purchase or something like that. Typical run-of-the-mill type contracts and service agreements and and different types of things we see normally, some of it can be

00:00:35

enforced in a in a verbal sense where now we’re stuck in court trying to explain to a judge or a jury what the contract even was because we don’t have an exhibit that tells us. It comes down to testimony of both sides or it comes down to some emails or or things like that, and that isn’t a good place to be. Um I always advise people an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Spend a few thousand dollars on a law firm, get a contract written down, negotiated well, with protective

00:01:03

provisions in there, and get the thing signed. You know, there’s nothing immature or unprofessional or ungentlemanly about getting a contract in writing. Some people just feel that peer pressure to keep it a handshake deal on the golf course. And then, you know, when money gets involved and and tight economies get involved a couple years down the road, the whole thing falls apart and soon we’re all pointing fingers and don’t know where to look. So, it can cost a lot more money at that

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point.

This transcription was AI generated.