TL;DR: A Statement of Work (SOW) is the document that defines the specific work to be done, the deliverables, timeline, and price, for a particular project or engagement. It usually sits underneath a Master Service Agreement (MSA), which sets the overarching legal terms that apply across every project. The MSA handles the “how we work […]
Category Archives: Contract
09
Jul
Jul
TL;DR: A contract lawyer’s cost depends far more on how they bill and how complex your contract is than on the document’s title. Hourly rates for business and contract lawyers commonly run from around $150 to $500+ an hour in major markets, but the more predictable route is fixed-fee pricing, where a straightforward contract can […]
07
Jul
Jul
TL;DR: AI vendor contracts are not just software contracts with a new label. They quietly take rights that ordinary SaaS agreements do not: the right to train the vendor’s model on your data, ownership or control of the outputs you generate, and broad protection for the vendor when the AI gets something wrong. The two […]
30
May
May
TL;DR: A convertible note is a short-term loan that converts into equity when your next round triggers it. Convertible note agreement drafting decides the principal, the interest, the maturity date, the valuation cap, the discount, and the conversion triggers. These clauses control your dilution and your risk. Quick overview: This guide walks through what a […]
28
May
May
TL;DR: A SAFE note review is a lawyer or advisor checking your Simple Agreement for Future Equity before you sign it. The terms that matter most are the valuation cap, the discount, whether it is pre-money or post-money, the MFN clause, and the conversion triggers. These quietly decide how much of your company you give […]
25
May
May
When a contract dispute lands on your desk, the first instinct is usually to ask who is right. The more useful question, at least to begin with, is how you are going to resolve it. Because the route you take, mediation, arbitration, or litigation, will shape the cost, the timeline, the privacy, and often the […]
23
May
May
A force majeure clause is the part of a contract that excuses one or both parties from performing their obligations when something genuinely outside their control makes performance impossible, illegal, or impractical. The phrase is French for “superior force.” In plain terms, it is the clause that answers the question: what happens if neither of […]
19
May
May
Most founders are good at many things. Building product, selling to customers, recruiting a team, managing cash. Contract negotiation is usually not on that list, and for a very understandable reason: you learn it by doing it badly first. The problem is that the cost of learning contract negotiation through bad deals is not a […]
18
May
May
You did the work. You delivered everything you promised. You sent the invoice. And now the client has gone quiet, or worse, they have come back with a reason why they are not going to pay. This situation happens to freelancers, consultants, agencies, contractors, and small businesses every single day. It is one of the […]
13
May
May
There is a moment most startup founders recognise. A contract arrives from a customer, an investor, or a supplier. It is forty pages long. You are busy. The other side wants it signed this week. You scan the commercial terms, see that the price and the deliverables look right, and decide that the rest is […]