A contract review attorney in Houston, TX examines an agreement before you sign it, identifies problematic terms and negotiates better ones. Capstone Legal Strategies reviews partnership agreements, commercial leases, service contracts and shareholder agreements for businesses across Houston, Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land and Fulshear. Call 832-446-5660, or compare our contract drafting and contract negotiation services.
Why Should You Have a Contract Reviewed Before Signing?
The best contracts clarify the relationships among the parties and bind each to perform. Failure to adhere to those responsibilities opens the door to liability — a poorly drafted contract exposes your organization to financial losses, litigation and civil damages.
That is why it matters to have an experienced Houston business attorney review a contract before you sign, and to revise your own agreements before they go out.
The Contract Review Process
When a contract is proposed to you, read it closely and note every question or concern. Then bring it to legal counsel. Our review follows six steps:
- Understanding your business goals — your risk appetite and what you want the contract to achieve shapes every recommendation
- Identifying problematic terms — errors, ambiguous language and loopholes that could expose you to liability
- Finding opportunities for better terms — openings to strengthen language in your favor
- Explaining unclear clauses — legal jargon becomes binding once executed, so we answer every question first
- Discussing liabilities and remedies — your exposure if you breach, plus remedies we can add if absent
- Negotiating modifications — we compile changes and negotiate until the agreement works
Reviewing Contracts You Propose
Contract review is not only defensive. Businesses need the agreements they propose reviewed too, for two reasons.
First, once the other party signs, the agreement is in force — they may simply accept it as written, putting your own unreviewed terms into immediate effect.
Second, ambiguous terms are frequently construed against the party that drafted the agreement. When language can be read more than one way, the reading usually favors whoever did not write it.
Contract Review After an Agreement Is Executed
Contracts should be reviewed before signing, but that does not always happen, and an agreement vetted years ago can prove outmoded today. Contracts bind the parties but are not immutable — we review the existing agreement against your current needs, propose changes, and draw up the paperwork if a modification can be negotiated.
What Types of Contracts Do We Review in Houston?
Our business law firm reviews agreements regardless of company size or industry, including:
- Partnership, shareholder and operating agreements
- Commercial leases and real estate purchase agreements
- Buy-sell agreements, bills of sale and purchase orders
- Service contracts, terms and conditions, and franchise agreements
- Non-compete, non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreements
- Warranties, employment agreements and licensing agreements
- Private placement memorandums, subscription agreements and loan agreements
Need the agreement written rather than reviewed? See our Houston contract drafting attorney page, or explore ongoing support through corporate counsel services. We also serve clients in Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land and Fulshear. To have an agreement examined before you sign, contact our Houston office or call 832-446-5660.
Contact Our Houston Contract Review Attorney
Has a contract been proposed to your organization, or are you in the process of drafting one to send to other parties? Do your existing agreements fail to meet your current business purposes? Regardless of the reason you need a contract to be examined, our Houston business lawyer is prepared to handle all aspects of the review process. Give us a call today to get started.
Capstone Legal Strategies is proud to offer trusted legal services for businesses and individuals in Houston and the surrounding Katy, Sugar Land, Cypress, Pearland, and Pasadena areas.