Contract review involves a lawyer carefully examining a written legal contract on behalf of a client to assess the fairness and legality of its terms. This detailed process is typically done line by line and may include the lawyer adding redlines or comments to enhance the terms for their client. Contract review lawyers also identify potential loopholes to ensure clients are fully protected before signing the agreement. Key tasks involved in contract review may include:

• Initial Consultation: Understanding the client’s priorities and objectives.
• Contract Analysis: Thoroughly read and evaluate the contract’s provisions.
• Client Explanation: Clarifying the contract’s terms and implications to the client.
• Addressing Questions: Responding to any questions or concerns the client may have.
• Proposing Revisions: Recommending changes that would benefit the client’s interests.
• Negotiation Tips: Offering advice on how to effectively negotiate with the other party.

Who Typically Needs Contract Review?
Contract review services are valuable for a wide range of parties, as legal contracts are a common part of daily life for both businesses and individuals. By reviewing a legal contract on behalf of a business or individual, these services help safeguard their legal rights and interests.

Contract Review for Businesses
Businesses regularly review legal contracts to ensure that agreements made with other parties are solid and minimize risk. Many businesses work with lawyers who are familiar with their operations, ensuring that contract reviews are thorough and align with the company’s objectives. Here are some common situations where businesses need contracts reviewed:

• Customers: When customers purchase products or services, these transactions are often governed by legal contracts or website agreements. If customers suggest changes to these contracts, businesses need a lawyer to review the revisions to ensure they don't introduce unnecessary risks before signing.
• Vendors: Businesses often rely on multiple vendors to help deliver their products or services. These vendors usually require legal contracts, such as vendor agreements, which must be reviewed by the business before signing to ensure they are favorable and legally sound.
• Employees: For businesses with employees, an employment contract is required. This contract needs to be reviewed to ensure the terms align with the business's interests and comply with legal standards.
• Contractors: When businesses hire contractors, they often need to establish an independent contractor agreement to govern the relationship. This agreement should be reviewed to confirm it protects the business's interests.
• Investors: If a business seeks external funding from investors, an investment contract, such as a convertible note, SAFE note, or stock purchase agreement, will be involved. Reviewing this contract is crucial to ensure the terms are favorable and clear.
• Lenders: When a business takes out a loan, a loan agreement provided by the lender must be reviewed to ensure the terms are fair and manageable for the business.

Contract Review for Individuals
Individuals and consumers frequently require contract review services to safeguard their interests in significant transactions. Here are some common scenarios where contract review is essential:

• Real Estate: When buying or leasing property, legal contracts outline the terms of the transaction. For purchases, a real estate purchase agreement defines the conditions of the sale, while renting or leasing involves a rental or lease agreement. Lawyers often review these contracts on behalf of individuals to ensure their interests are protected.
• Employment: When starting a new job or facing issues with a current position, individuals may seek the expertise of a contract lawyer to review their employment contract. The lawyer assesses the legality of the terms and offers guidance on how to proceed.
• Marriage: Legal contracts, such as prenuptial or postnuptial agreements, may be involved in marriage. Family lawyers review these agreements to ensure that individual rights are safeguarded.
• Estate Planning: Documents like a living will or living trust, which dictate what happens to an individual's estate after their passing, are often drafted and reviewed by estate planning lawyers to ensure they align with the individual's wishes.

At Najla Law Firm, we provide expert contract review services in all these areas to protect your interests and ensure that your legal agreements are clear and enforceable.

Who Reviews Contracts?
Contracts are generally reviewed by licensed attorneys who specialize in this area of law. Some of these legal professionals, often referred to as transactional lawyers, focus exclusively on handling contracts. With their specialized training and experience, they guide clients through transactions to ensure they are fully protected.

Since contracts can span various legal areas—such as employment, business, or family law—many contract lawyers choose to focus on specific fields. For instance, a lawyer might specialize in finance and investment, assisting clients with raising capital from investors or securing loans for their business. Similarly, a family law attorney might concentrate on prenuptial or postnuptial agreements, offering tailored expertise to clients in these matters.

At Najla Law Firm, our team of contract lawyers is equipped with specialized knowledge across multiple practice areas, ensuring that your legal needs are met with the highest level of expertise and care.

Contract Review Process
The contract review process at Najla Law Firm is tailored to each client's needs, depending on the complexity and importance of the transaction. It typically begins with an initial consultation, where we gather details about the client's situation and priorities. Our lawyers then conduct a thorough review of the contract, examining each clause carefully. After this review, we discuss our findings with the client, addressing any questions or concerns. If needed, we can redline the contract, suggesting edits to better protect our client's interests. We may also assist in negotiating the terms with the other party to reach a mutually agreeable final version. Once all parties are satisfied, the contract is signed, ensuring our clients are fully protected and their objectives are met.

What Types of Contracts Should Be Reviewed

Employment Contracts
Employment contracts are crucial when hiring someone for a new role. Key aspects include:

• Benefits: Health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks
• Compensation: Salary, bonuses, and other financial terms
• Exclusivity: Whether the employee can work for other companies
• Intellectual Property: Ownership of work-related inventions or creations
• Job Description: Specific duties and responsibilities
• Job Security: Terms related to job stability and employment duration
• Non-Compete Clauses: Restrictions on working with competitors post-employment
• Non-Solicitation Clauses: Limits on soliciting clients or employees from the company
• Start and End Dates: Duration of the employment term
• Termination Cause: Conditions under which the contract can be terminated

Freelancing Contracts
Freelancers should carefully review their contracts, focusing on:

• Deadlines: Timelines for completing projects
• Ownership of Work: Who owns the rights to the work produced
• Payment Amounts: Rates and payment terms
• Revisions: Number and scope of revisions included
• Scope of Work: Detailed description of the tasks and deliverables
• Termination: Conditions under which the contract can be ended

Real Estate Contracts
Real estate transactions involve various documents, such as:

• Bills of Sale: Proof of the transfer of property
• Deeds: Legal documents transferring property ownership
• Legal Descriptions of Property: Detailed descriptions of the property boundaries
• Mortgage Loan Documents: Terms of the loan used to finance the property
• Plot of Land Surveys: Maps showing the property's boundaries and features
• Titles: Proof of property ownership
• Title Insurance: Protection against future claims on the property’s title

Common Mistakes Made During Contract Review
There are many common mistakes that can be made throughout the contract process. Below is a summary to review to make sure you do not make any of these mistakes:

• Signing a contract without reviewing its terms.
• Using a non-lawyer to review a high-value contract.
• Hiring a lawyer to review a contract without getting an idea of costs ahead of time.
• Thinking all contracts aren’t negotiable.
• Redlining and pushing back on non-important terms, can blow up deals or trigger high legal bills.
• Filling out a contract template incorrectly without having a lawyer look at it.

At Najla Law Firm, we offer expert review services for all these contract types to ensure your interests are well-protected.