What a lawyer needs from you
Before drafting starts, we need the business deal: who the parties are, what each will do, how money moves, how long the arrangement lasts, and what each side is most worried about. Emails or a term sheet summarizing what was agreed are useful, as are earlier contracts with the same party. Tell us which points were hard-won and which you are willing to trade. If the other side has already sent a draft, send that too, because responding to their paper is a different exercise from starting with yours. If regulatory approvals or third-party consents are needed, mention them early.
Where contracts usually fail
Contracts tend to break down in the provisions people skim: the definition of what is being delivered, what happens when a deadline is missed, how changes are approved, and how the relationship ends. Limitations of liability and indemnities decide who absorbs losses that nobody expected. Governing law and dispute resolution clauses determine where any fight will happen and under which state's rules, and an arbitration clause changes the process significantly. Templates copied from the internet or from another deal often contain terms that do not fit, or that contradict each other. Unclear wording can be read against the party that drafted it, which is another reason to say things plainly.
How we work through a draft
We prepare or review the draft with your business priorities in mind and flag the provisions that carry real risk, rather than marking up every sentence. For recurring contracts, such as customer agreements or vendor terms, we can build a template with a short guide so your team knows which terms can be negotiated and which need a lawyer. We also look at signature authority and execution, since contracts signed by the wrong person or in the wrong entity's name create avoidable disputes. A clear contract will not prevent every disagreement, but it narrows what there is to argue about.
