A legal document, usually in writing, giving details of a formal legally binding agreement, between two or more different people or groups. To be legally binding it must contain certain elements: it must contain an offer made by one party and accepted in its entirety by the other, it must include some form of consideration whether it be money, goods or services, and it must be properly signed by all parties to it, and dated.

A contract in which all elements of a contract are specifically stated (offer, acceptance and consideration), and the terms are set out, as compared with an implied contract in which the existence of the contract is assumed by the circumstances.

A person lawfully invested with the power, and charged with the duty, of taking care of a person and/or managing the property rights of another person. Guardians are typically used in three situations; for an incapacitated senior (due to old age or infirmity), for a minor and for developmentally disabled adults.