Lost Treasures of FindLaw: Sample Contracts From Big Companies

FindLaw has a lot of content. Millions of pages of content, to put things in perspective.

It's unsurprising then, that occasionally, we even surprise ourselves by stumbling across some very useful content. Today's discovery? We have a ton of sample contracts, and not just the blank forms you can find all over the Internet. These are the actual contracts from the biggest companies out there.

Employment compensation agreements. Stock options. Severance. All from companies like Apple, AT&T, Exxon Mobil, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and many others.

How Did We Get These Contracts?

Well first, we borrowed some rope, a ski mask, some liquid nitrogen, and a pack of Ballpark franks.

Actually, we just pulled them from the Securities and Exchange Commission's website. As you're probably aware, certain companies are required to disclose these agreements as part of their SEC filings. We take them, format them for easy readability, and make them available to you.

Why Would You Want Their Contracts?

Maybe you're a small company trying to avoid reinventing the wheel. Maybe you just want to see a few samples to see how your contracts stack up. After all, the bigger the company, the more likely they've had a few dozen overpaid BigLaw attorneys reviewing and revising the terms.

What Kind of Contracts?

Here is the list:

• Compensation
  • Employment
  • Stock Options
  • Severance
• Finance
  • Credit
  • Loans
  • Warrants
• Business Formation
  • Bylaws
  • Incorp.
  • LLCs
• Intellectual Property Licenses
• Business Planning
  • Mergers
  • Spin-offs
  • Stock Purchase
• Business Operations
  • Real Estate
  • Sales
  • Services
• Corporate
  • Governance
  • Indemnification
  • Nondisclosure
• Securities
  • Shareholder Agreements
  • Registration Rights

For some people, reading corporate spinoff agreements may sound like slow torture. But we're not most people, are we?

The contracts come from a big list of companies that includes toy makers, real estate agents, biotech and pharmaceuticals, insurance, media, and a lot more. There are thousands of companies, and tens of thousands of contracts, for pretty much every conceivable common task your company might undertake.

Got a favorite section of FindLaw's Corporate Counsel center? Tell us about it on Facebook.

Related Resources:

• FMLA 20-Year Anniversary: How Does Your Company Measure Up? (FindLaw's In House Blog)
• AOL CEO Tim Armstrong's 'Distressed Babies': 3 PR Lessons Learned (FindLaw's In House Blog)
• NLRB Announces Proposed New (Old) Unionization Voting Rules (FindLaw's In House Blog)
• Corporate Counsel Center (FindLaw)