Hey, can you quickly review my contract?

No, I can’t.

This is for the lawyers. And those who ask lawyers to “quickly review contracts” (translation: can you review this contract you’ve never seen before nor been involved in, for free, do it well AND quickly, so I can make sure I’m ok to sign it?)

Even though I’m not a practising lawyer anymore, I still often get asked to review contracts.

I don’t mind doing things for free, but spare a few thoughts for your good lawyer friends:

1. Often a PDF or Word doc lands in our WhatsApp(!) or inbox. It’s over 10 pages long. Or 50. And has another document attached, or needs to be read with it. So straight up, let’s forget about “quick”.

2. That PDF gets sent with little or no explanation as to how the contract came about or what it’s generally about, including what the contract is worth, who pays who and by when and what for. Context is key. And we need it from the start. Otherwise we waste time trying to work out the fundamentals by ourselves. Help us help you.

3. Lawyers don’t know every area of law. Before asking for help, what area of law do they practice? As a former corporate M&A lawyer I get asked about things I don’t specialise in, like commercial office leases, financial regulations, loan agreements, employment contracts, agency agreements, land disputes and of course, speeding tickets. Yes we can read contracts, but we’re not experts in everything so we don’t know what’s typical or unusual for your contract. However, we know how to find answers or point you to someone else. This takes time because we still need to read the contract first. Even so, our review from a common sense legal perspective will be extremely helpful. Next, how do we point you in the right direction? This is even more valuable. It saves you time (googling yourself doesn’t guarantee you’ll find the answer. Most people don’t know what kind of lawyer they need. Even if they do, they don’t know who is a “good” lawyer). And just like that, “quickly look at this” turns into 5 extra things including “can you recommend a good XYZ lawyer and introduce me?”

4. Do you expect to work for free? No? Neither do we. But sometimes when you ask us, it implies that you’d like us to, do it well, and do it quickly because “it shouldn’t take us that long”. Often the contracts are worth thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. And yet, we’re being asked to review for free. This is actual work for us. It means we read it, understand it, apply a critical mind AND give you comments.

5. You think this will “only take 5 minutes.” We know we’ll need AT LEAST an hour. However, that hour took me 5 years of legal education and 14 years of legal experience to develop. Not all hours are created equal. More importantly, what’s an hour of your time worth to you? And do you know how much legal fees per hour are generally?

6. I’m happy to review things for free, and I have done this more times than I can count. However, don’t expect my help if you don’t bother looking at my comments, sign the agreement anyway and don’t tell me or if you don’t even appreciate my time generally. Refer to each of the points above.

7. Finally, our “endorsement” (although it’s not formal legal advice) is the reassurance you need to commit or sign an agreement worth large sums of money. That’s still pressure for us, because our integrity and ethics (and the fact that we actually want to help you) are at stake - that’s who we are.

For the lawyers out there, let me know if you can relate. I’d love to know. Remember, it’s ok to set boundaries, say no and honour your values.

And for those needing someone to “quickly review” your contract, go ahead and ask. After you’ve read this post.