Contract Background Examples

From WeDoMarriage.org - World's First Couple Marriage Contract Wiki

At the beginning of a contract is a section typically named Background or Introduction. Usually no longer than a single page, the Contract Background provides some information about the parties to the contract, the circumstances that led up to its signing, and the intentions of the parties in creating the contract.

For example and inspiration a number of sample Contract Backgrounds are provided below.

Example: Paul and Michelle

A.	[Paul] is 25 and worked at a number of jobs before getting a City & Guilds qualification in electronics. He always loved computers and computer games and spent ever increasing hours of his spare time fixing friend’s computers. Realising there was a market in his skills, two years ago he set up as a sole trader in his own computer repair business and has never looked back.
B.	[Michelle] is 26. She is Irish and the only daughter of [Pat] and [Joan]. [Michelle] trained in a general office and worked for four years with a large international company. [Michelle] has a little girl from a previous relationship, [Jessica], who is now three years old. [Jessica] goes to a local crèche and is cared for by [Joan] each evening until [Michelle] arrives home from work.
C.	[Paul] and [Michelle] met on holiday in Spain and hit it off right from the start. After going out with each other for six months, [Paul] moved into [Michelle]'s apartment. [Paul] and [Michelle] go out with their friends every Saturday night, when [Jessica] stays overnight with her dad and her paternal grandmother (at [Jessica]'s paternal grandmother's house), who is divorced from [Jessica]'s granddad.
D.	[Paul] and [Michelle] enjoyed the apparent freedom that co-habitation afforded them, and being young, and times were good, they weren’t too bothered about the future. As the months passed they discussed what each of them wanted in life. Although they were very still much in love, they wanted that love to mature and grow stronger and deeper over time.
E.	[Paul] and [Michelle] knew they'd have to work together to make their relationship work and to make their dreams come true. They discussed owning their own home, and having another child. As well as all the romantic and realistic positives of achieving a great relationship, they also realised they each had different concerns about their relationship. [Michelle] wanted emotional and financial stability for herself and [Jessica]. [Paul] felt his position in the relationship and with any children they had together, could be very tenuous legally ([Paul]'s older brother experienced a nasty breakup with his ex-partner, which involved two children, which had ramifications for the rest of his brother's and his nephews lives).
F.	[Paul] and [Michelle] went on a parallel journey of discovery. They looked at their backgrounds. They looked at their families, the family circumstances and the way their own family communicated with each other, whether expressing feelings and views were encouraged in their formative years. They also looked at themselves individually; what communication skills they had or needed to brush up on. They also considered their individual expectations of relationships and roles they saw themselves playing in such a relationship such as parent, lover, provider, nurtures etc. Along with this they read about successful relationships and how to achieve them.
G.	[Paul] and [Michelle] took the time to establish specifically what they wanted to do with their lives and what steps were necessary to attain these goals. They got advice from legal, health and financial experts. With all this, they felt confident to commit to each other and a relationship that was desired by both of them. This contract is the tool to achieving the success they both dream of.

Example: Jonathan and Angela

A.	[Jonathan] is 45 and a district court judge. [Jonathan]'s father, a doctor, and mother, a teacher, both now retired, put three children through university and are immensely proud of [Jonathan]'s academic and professional achievements.
B.	[Angela] is a 33 year-old barrister specializing in contract law. A rising star in her profession, she works long hours but loves the buzz and challenges of the adversarial nature of the legal industry. [Angela] comes from a family whose history is steeped in public and political service. Her father was an elected member of the Dail was once tipped to be the leader of the party in which he and his father before him invested so much of their lives.
C.	[Jonathan] and [Angela] met four years ago at [Angela]'s sister's wedding. [Jonathan] and [Angela] enjoy a very full social life individually and together, with interests in horses, opera and dinner parties. They also spend every opportunity they get fly away on city breaks and foreign holidays, visiting friends and family in Hong Kong. Two or three times a year they go skiing and waking near an apartment they own in France. Professional duties aside, their comfortable incomes and not having children has allowed their relationship to be spontaneous and flexible. Being financially independent, each had their own apartment in the city only twenty minutes apart.
D.	It was [Angela] who first brought up the idea of 'marriage'. She said she had put her proverbial biological clock on pause to concentrate on her career, but was now considering other options…like having children, living together and possibly taking a career break at some point in the future. They both knew that any such changes would fundamentally alter their relationship and wanted to ensure that, as far as possible, the outcome of such decisions would have a positive effect on them as a couple.
E.	Interestingly, [Jonathan]'s experience as a Judge in family law gave him cause for concern, should their marriage break up, if he were ever to use the divorce court himself as either an Applicant or Respondent. [Angela], working in contract law, knew that she and [Jonathan] could create the perfect WeDo Marriage contract which would not only protect both of their interests, but would primarily as its greatest benefit; promote a happy and lasting marriage.
F.	[Jonathan] and [Angela] found the WeDo structure and process particularly helpful in broaching subjects often avoided by couples who fear such conversations show a lack of trust. On the contrary, confronting their own human frailties and discussing thorny subjects gave them the courage and belief that laid the foundations for honesty and trustworthiness that they would carry into their marriage and into their future. And they knew that this was the time to create a good contract, while they still were in love and cared for each other.