[grepgeek]

I like the way Creative Commons licenses do it. First there is a simple bullet-point-wise summary for layman like this: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ . Then there is the entire legal code for lawyers: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode .

I think all contracts should be written like this. If any clause of the legal code contradicts the summary for layman, then the summary for layman should take precedence during its interpretation in the court.

This practice is not unusual. Books often start with a preface or foreword. Very dense technical or research papers start with an abstract and introduction. But for some reason contracts do not follow this practice.

[mikeash]

If the summary takes precedence, then what purpose does the legal code serve?

[bzbz]

The details.