Debate - Contracts

[dlgood]

So, a recent question popped up on ATPO: Did anyone from Angel investigations sign one of those pesky Wolfram & Hart Eternity Contracts?

I'd like to think they didn't. I certainly wouldn't want the series to conclude with the services of Our Heroes owned by an evil lawfirm in perpituity.

However, I find it much harder to believe they wouldn't be.

In general, most law firms do not require employees to sign contracts. Or so I've heard. But W&H did, at least in the case of Lilah. I find it hard to believe W&H would give away the keys to the kingdom without securing such leverage.

Furthermore, given the particular work they do, I find it hard to believe W&H would present Wesley and Fred with Non-Disclosure Agreements, Intellectual Property Contracts, and Non-Competes as well. I base this on my own experience - I've never worked for a professional office that didn't require me to sign several forms of documentation that went beyond the standard W4, W2 and I9 forms. But then, I've had clearances, and have published at these places. (And one imagines Fred would have had publishing opportunities at W&H)

And I must admit that I think it's a large sacrifice of the credibility of W&H (and the SP) as a villain to consider that they wouldn't find some way to attach such a clause to the folks at AI. It's quite easy for me to believe that such a clause was included in the fine print of any number of forms that W&H would have gotten their new management to sign - and that it wasn't shown because it wasn't necessary to the story to show it.

It makes it a pretty wimpy Faustian Bargain otherwise. And of course, the SP would retain the option to call or not call upon AI members. They wouldn't be required to.

I'm willing to believe that AI didn't sign such contracts, and are free of such worries - but I do find it a bit less plausible and uncharacteristic of W&H that such is the case.

Comments

[blackcat333-99.livejournal.com]

Good question. I can't help remembering, however, that Lilah's verbal offer ("Home") included the exact phrase "no strings attached". Eve also made reference to the Fang Gang's choice of options ("Conviction"), including the right to close down the shop, but then "evil would move next door". If, however, there were some binding fine print clauses included in their W&H contracts, given the fact that the FG supposedly had the right to do whatever they wanted with the business, the Senior Partners chosing to close down the shop would constitute a deal-breaker on the SP's end. It's been noted numerous times by Gunn throughout S5 that there's always wiggle room in a contract - and so one could infer that if the FG had signed some perpetuity clause - the deal is now broken due to failure to meet terms of the contract on the SP's end.

Just my perspective from the info we have.