Many people have heard of signing “waivers,” “releases,” or, more generically, “forms.” When someone is going to enter an athletic event, for example, they will often sign “waivers” that “waive” their rights to sue the athletic event. Formally, these forms are known as “release of liability” forms in which the person signing them acknowledges that the other party does not hold liability for any damages sustained by the predetermined event.

Consider an athlete running a marathon at a specific place - releasing the liability of that specific place means that the athlete is taking on the risks of the marathon and holding themselves liable for their own medical bills and other issues. These can be very standard and common forms, but you’ll always want to understand everything you sign. Here’s how to understand the release of liability form.

In many cases, a release of liability form will be short, easy to read, and relatively easy to understand. A release of liability form that has too much jargon and too much to read should generally be avoided - in fact, this is typical for many contracts that you’re asked to sign. Admittedly, no one has time to read every single thing that comes their way, but being educated about what you sign will be very beneficial for you throughout your life, even as it comes to something simple like a release of liability form.

The good news about these forms is that their simplicity generally makes them ready to read on the spot, which is often how you’re asked to sign them, such as when you register for an event. The language contained in the release of liability form should only pertain to the event at hand - if, for example, the form also registers you for something you don’t want to be registered for, then don’t sign the form. You might seem a bit prudish at the time, but the habit of not signing documents you don’t want to sign is exactly the kind of proactive habit you’ll want to cultivate throughout your life.

In many cases, these releases of liability are harmless, however. For example, you know the risks of running a marathon and never plan on suing anyone else for the challenges you undertake in this regard. If that’s the case, you should have no problem signing a release of liability form related to your marathon. These types of contracts don’t only apply to marathons, but for a number of other physical activities, events, and even mental activities that you’re signing up for.

The simple truth is that many things we do in life contain some amount of risk, and occasionally signing away your ability to sue someone else for damages is another risk that we have to have some degree of tolerance to. And when you consider things from the other side of the table, you realize just how important release of liability forms can be to making sure your business runs smoothly, with as few legal troubles as possible.