Sometimes, in contract disputes, one party can produce a copy of an e-mail that supposedly was sent, but the other party contends that it was never received. How can the sender avoid this problem?

Most business students must take a course in business communication. These courses cover the planning and preparation of oral and written communications, including electronic messages. Indeed, e-mails have become so pervasive that an increasing number of contracts are created via e-mail. One possible defense to contract enforceability is a lack of voluntary consent, sometimes due to mistakes. Often, when a mistake is unilateral, the courts will still enforce the contract. Consequently, the e-mail communications that you create can result in an enforceable contract even if you make a typographic error in, say, a dollar amount. If you are making an offer or an acceptance via e-mail, you have to treat that communication as carefully as if you were writing or typing it on a sheet of paper. Today, unfortunately, many individuals in the business world treat e-mails somewhat casually. When you realize that you are creating an enforceable contract if you make an offer or an acceptance via e-mail, then you know that you have to reread your e-mails several times before you hit the send button.