Dr. John E. Murray was the nation’s most respected authority on the law of contracts. He spent half a century helping students and lawyers unlock its mysteries in the law schools he headed up and at numerous PA Bar Institute seminars. He and Tim Murray drafted a very practical book for PBI to help lawyers avoid contract drafting landmines. The third edition was being worked on at the time Dr. Murray passed away. Dr. Murray intended to use this book in this seminar. His co-author, Tim Murray and a stellar panel will stand in for him. Using Dr. Murray’s book, they will march attorneys through a “typical” contract and highlight 30 common traps for the unwary.  The law of contracts is riddled with contract drafting landmines--laws that require the contract to be worded in certain ways in order to be given effect. The only way to avoid these traps is to be familiar with the pertinent statutory and case law that govern them — the most careful drafting in the world won’t save the contract without this knowledge.  Discuss these critical clauses: preambles/recitals, choice of law, remedies and merger clause problems.