How Contract Review Works For Freelancers

People come to me with all sorts of contract questions and problems across various fields and industries: tech, HR, pharmaceuticals, education, nonprofit, freelancer, consultant, founder, etc.

You name it, I've seen the contract issue.

Traditionally, I've had two services that support people: one is my Consultation service and the other is my Contract Review Service.

In today's article, I'm breaking down the difference between the two services and what each accomplishes.

Here's what we'll cover:

• What a consultation is and what you can expect to get out of it

• What the Contract Review Service is and who it's best for

• How the Contract Review Service worksThat issue has to do with mindset.

What My Contract Consultation is and How it Works

My Contract Consultation is a 30-minute call, usually over Zoom. The goal is to resolve your issue in that thirty minutes so you don't need to pay for any other services. That means the service works best when you have 1 to 2 contract issues that you want to discuss and figure out solutions for.

When I say "contract issues," I mean terms in the contract that you're trying to figure out how to deal with. If you need me to read through the entire contract and identify problems for you, that's not a good candidate for a consultation. But, if you've read through the entire contract yourself and are trying to figure out how to negotiate the indemnity clause and structure your scope of work, then you're a good fit.

Here’s How A Contract Consultation Works

When you go to my website, I have a "Book a Consultation" button on the top righthand side of my menu bar. When you click it, it takes you to my booking calendar where you'll select a time to meet with me, tell me what you want to discuss, and then pay the fee ($200).

Then we meet. You show up with your contract in hand, share your screen, and I look at the terms you're most concerned about. Sometimes I take a screenshot of the terms so I can look at them more closely afterwards. I might ask you a few questions about your business to understand your situation better and then I'll craft a solution for you.

Your solution is delivered in 2 ways: live on the call and written via email. During the call, I outline your plan of attack -- how you're going to solve your problem and the steps you need to take to solve it. After our all, I'll send you an email with your plan written out. That means if you need specific contract redlines for one or two terms, I'll send you the exact redline language and how to explain it to your client.

Out of all the contract consultations I've done, I've completely resolved the issue during the consultation and the person hasn't had to book any further services. In the off chance that you do need another service after the consultation, I credit the consultation fee you paid towards that service.

What My Contract Review Service is and How it Works

Unlike my Contract Consultation, the Contract Review Service is a full out service. Think about it like going to Drybar for a quick blowout versus going tot he hairdresser for a full wash, cut, dry, and style. The Contract Review Service is the latter. It's much more hands on and I am all up in your business on purpose so I can make sure you have the exact playbook you need to get the contract be the best it can be for you.

Here’s How the Contract Review Service Works

Everything starts with an application. You apply because I want to make sure it's a good fit and to make sure that we vibe. I talk to you a lot throughout the process so it's important to me to make sure that we communicate well with each other. Once you apply, we hop on a call so I can answer any questions you have and ask you any that I have. Sometimes I'll skip this step and send you the booking link if it's clear that you're the ideal candidate for the service.

Once you book your service (a $1,500 flat fee for contracts up to 10 pages), you get a short intake form to complete where you'll also submit the contract you want me to review. When you submit the intake form, you'll be prompted to schedule your debrief call with me.

Now comes the best part for you: You relax while I get to work.

Based on the info you gave me, I review your contract, identify all the problems, prioritize the problems by importance for purposes of negotiating, and then I create negotiation scripts for each of the priority terms.

For each priority term, you'll receive:

• A negotiation script with redlines you can copy/paste to change the language in the contract to say what you need it to say

• Language you can copy/paste to explain why you need to change that term to your client. Clients are more likely to say yes when you explain your reasoning.

• Back up positions for each priority term in case your client pushes back on your requested change.

Next, we'll have a debriefing meeting where I'll walk you through your contract strategy, ask you any outstanding questions I may have, and get feedback from you.

I'll take the information from that meeting to finalize your Negotiation Guide and send it over to you. You'll have 2 weeks of email support from after I send you your guide to support you through the negotiation process with your client.

How Folks Have Used the Contract Review Service

Here are a few examples of folks who have used the service in the past:

• A freelancer signing a new annual retainer client

• A freelancer wondering about her IP rights based on a past client contract so she can be strategic about the new revenue stream she's creating

• A tech consultant and advisor who wanted to know their equity rights under the contract after a founder terminated their service abruptly

• A consultant who hired a business coach who turned out to be awful who wanted to know how to end the contract early without having to pay a penalty

• A consultant signing their biggest corporate client yet who wanted to ensure the contract said what it needed to say to protect her business and facilitate a strong client relationship

I recently talked to one of the freelancers who used the service to negotiate a contract with a new client. We worked together 3 years ago and she still uses the guide I created for her to negotiate contracts with new clients. If you're interested in the Contract Review Service, feel free to book a call.