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Need Help Getting a Contract Reviewed?

By Andrew Lu on February 06, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Even your friends who went to law school would have trouble reading half the contracts you have to sign in your daily life. That's why it's no surprise that many people look for help in getting a contract reviewed.

Almost everything nowadays involves a contract. For starters, there's your car lease, home mortgage, and even your iTunes account. Think back: How much of the fine print did you actually read in any of these legal agreements?

Free online resources like FindLaw's Contract Law section can help you learn more about the law. But you'll probably still have a lot of questions.

Why Should You Get a Contract Reviewed?

A contract is a legal document that creates binding rights and obligations. But not all contracts are enforceable under the law.

Some contracts, like those for the sale of a house, must contain certain elements like a description of the property and the purchase price. But other types of contracts may not need to spell everything out in such detail.

A written contract may also include ambiguous or confusing terms that can be open to interpretation, penalties that are disproportionate to any potential contract breach, or even one-sided stipulations that are unfair to a particular party.

For all these reasons and more, it's generally wise to get a contract reviewed by a legal professional before you sign it.

Contract Review Services

Lawyers who focus on contract law may be willing to review a contract and go over it with you for a nominal fee. But if you have more questions down the line, you may have to go back to that lawyer, costing you more time and money.

Another option is to sign up for a prepaid personal legal plan that includes contract review services. One such plan, called LegalStreet, allows members to submit any legal document (up to 10 pages) for an attorney to review. Members also get unlimited access to an on-call lawyer for follow-up questions about contracts or other areas of law. A LegalStreet plan averages out to just $12.50 per month.

Nearly everything in life involves a contract, and contract disputes are quite common. Getting a contract reviewed before you sign on the dotted line is a sensible step toward protecting yourself in the long run.

Disclaimer: LegalStreet and FindLaw.com are owned by the same company.

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