Campus Journalist 
-By Shruthika
Email contract law may be thought of as an extension of contract law, which defines a legal contract as any agreement that is enforceable under contract laws. Most legal contracts are written and signed, although some jurisdictions will recognize oral agreements as legal contracts.
Generally speaking, it is best for a contract to be formalized in writing, especially for considerably valuable subject matters or for complex arrangements.
Legal contracts can be used by both individuals and organizations, such as businesses and corporations. Any legal contract must be entered into in such a way that is fair for both parties, and free of any fraud, coercion, and/or misrepresentations.
In order for a contract to be legally valid, it must fulfill all of the requirements for a valid contract which are set forth by both state and federal laws. As such, legal contract should meet all of the following requirements:
Offer and Acceptance: One party must make an offer, and the other party must accept the offer. Both offer and acceptance must be done in such a way that is both clear and unambiguous;
Assent: Both parties must mutually assent, or agree, to the terms of the contract. They should be clear regarding the terms, words, and definitions that are used in the agreement; and
Consideration: Each party must exchange something of value. An example of this would be how one party is generally providing a service or goods in exchange for monetary payment.
To reiterate, some contracts must be in writing in order for them to be legal. Examples include contracts for the sale of real property, and contracts for the sale of goods that are worth more than a certain amount of money. Generally, if it is over $500, it must be in writing).
The term “contracts” generally brings to mind agreements between parties that are committed to writing, and it is assumed that a contract is not valid unless it is on paper and signed. However, the vast majority of contracts are not written, and do not need to be in order for a court to enforce them.
Once again, a contract is simply an agreement between two or more parties to do something, or refrain from doing something, in exchange for some form of consideration. As such, an enforceable contract exists when there is an offer that is made by one party, accepted by the other party, and some exchange of value occurs between them.
This is why there is no reason that a contract entered into through email should not be legally enforceable. This is how email contracts are viewed under the law, especially contract law.
