Start with what, who, and for how long
Before diving into legal language, answer three questions in one sentence each: what is being exchanged, who exactly is bound on each side, and over what period. If you cannot answer all three crisply, the contract is too vague to sign as written.
Check the parties carefully — a signature block naming a different legal entity than the one you negotiated with is one of the most common and most consequential drafting errors.
The ten-point checklist
- Scope and deliverables — is the work or product described precisely enough to measure?
- Payment terms — amounts, schedules, late-payment interest, and who absorbs payment processing costs.
- Term and termination — duration, renewal mechanics, and how either side can exit, with what notice.
- Liability and indemnity — who pays when something goes wrong, and are damages capped?
- Intellectual property — who owns what is created, and what license is granted?
- Confidentiality — what is protected, for how long, and any survivorship after termination.
- Warranties — what each side promises is true, and for how long those promises last.
- Dispute resolution — which law, which courts or arbitration body, and who pays legal fees.
- Assignment and change of control — can the contract be transferred without your consent?
- The boilerplate — entire agreement, amendments, severability, notices. Boring, occasionally decisive.
Questions to ask about each clause
For every clause you find, ask: what is the worst realistic case, what does it cost me, and who decides when there is a disagreement. Clauses that read as routine often answer those questions badly — for example, an uncapped indemnity or a termination clause that only works one way.
Asymmetric clauses are the big ones: notice periods that apply only to you, fees that trigger only on your side, warranties that run only in their favor. Flag asymmetry wherever you see it.
How AI fits into the review
AI is excellent at the mechanical half of contract review. Run the contract through the free summarizer to get the plain-language version and the key points, then use the data extractor to pull out parties, dates, payment amounts and notice periods into clean fields.
With an account, you can also ask follow-up questions against the document — 'what is the notice period for termination?' — and get answers drawn strictly from the text. That turns a 40-page read into a focused 15-minute review of the clauses that need judgment.
When to still call a lawyer
Use AI to go in informed, not to go in alone. High-value contracts, anything with uncapped liability, personal guarantees, or language you still cannot summarize in your own words after the AI pass — those justify a professional read.
The best outcome of an AI-assisted review is a shorter lawyer conversation and a smaller bill: you arrive with the clauses flagged and the questions written down.