We should always challenge, or at least question, the status quo. The status quo is great only if you want the same thing you have always had. But today’s business world is dynamic and companies demand innovation and value creation. Lawyers should embrace change and more progressive thinking from academia that is proving to be […]
Kate Vitasek
Every Vested Contract is Unique
We are often asked, and sometimes even begged, to draft and share a sample contract. People say, “If only I could have an example contract.” Let’s look at why this is a bad idea through the lens of an actual situation. Let’s take an example from ISS, a large facilities management service provider that has […]
“V for Vested!” — Oct. 2019 Public Sector Catering
Cover story titled, “What’s in it for we?” published in Public Sector Catering magazine. The article is based on a speech by Kate Vitasek. Here is the link: https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/ccdad62b#/ccdad62b/18
Forbes — 22 Sept. — Guiding Principles
Follow Guiding Principles To A Successful Contract Article by Kate Vitasek published 22 Sept. in Forbes. A National Bureau of Economic Research paper highlights new research on how to overcome contractual incompleteness. Traditional contracting approaches have inherent flaws and a “new approach” that embeds informal social norms formally into a contract can help parties mitigate opportunistic behaviors, […]
Forbes — 8 September — UK-Bates
UK Court Says Post Office Agreements Are Relational Contracts Article by Kate Vitasek published 8 September 2019 in Forbes. Here is the link.
HBR IdeaCast — 3 September
The Inherent Failures of Long-Term Contracts — and How to Fix Them HBR IdeaCast interview with Oliver Hart and Kate Vitasek on 3 Sept. 2019. Here is the link: https://hbr.org/ideacast/2019/09/the-inherent-failures-of-long-term-contracts-and-how-to-fix-them.html
Harvard Business Review — Sept.-Oct.
“A new Approach to Contracts,” article by David Frydlinger, Oliver Hart and Kate Vitasek published in the September-October edition of the Harvard Business Review. Here is the link: https://hbr.org/2019/09/a-new-approach-to-contracts
CREJ — July 2019 (Vol. 9) — 12 Ailments
12 ailments of outsourcing CRE: What they are and how to prevent them Corporate Real Estate Journal — article by Kate Vitasek and Michele Flynn. Here is a link to CREJ: https://www.henrystewartpublications.com/crej/forthcoming
Keeping Contracts Simple
I’ve long been an advocate of “plain language contracting” – in fact, for many years. After all, it is the users of the contracts who need to understand and live into them. Of course, I perked up when I saw an insurance company issuing a plain language contract. The company is Lemonade and they are […]
Sourcing Industry Group (SIG) — 26 June 2019 — Myth-Busting
Procurement Myth-Busting – Putting Misconceptions to Rest Article by Kate Vitasek published 26 June on the SIG website. Many companies are on missions to improve their procurement processes… Here is the link: http://bit.ly/2QKbvLZ