The ContractScan Blog
Contracts, negotiation, and AI legal tech — explained
Practical guides for founders, freelancers, and small businesses. Written by lawyers and contract experts, fact-checked, and free.
Reading Your Job Offer Letter: A 12-Point Checklist
Offer letters and employment agreements look short. They're not. Twelve clauses determine your pay, your equity, and your exit — read each one.
7 Contract Mistakes That Kill Small Businesses
The seven contract failures we see most often when small businesses come to us after a dispute. Each one is preventable for under $100.
Reading a DPA: GDPR and CCPA Terms That Actually Matter
Data Processing Addenda are mostly boilerplate — but five clauses determine whether you're protected when a vendor leaks your customers' data.
The SaaS Renewal Negotiation Playbook (With Scripts)
Vendor renewals are the single biggest source of overpayment in SMB SaaS. Here's a 90-day playbook and scripts that consistently save 15–40%.
How AI Clause Extraction Actually Works (Without the Hype)
A technical-but-readable walkthrough of how modern contract AI extracts clauses, verifies evidence, and avoids hallucinations.
Stripe vs. Paddle: Why Merchant-of-Record Matters for SaaS
Should your SaaS use Stripe directly or a merchant-of-record like Paddle or Lemon Squeezy? A practical breakdown of taxes, chargebacks, and pricing.
The 14-Point Master Service Agreement Checklist
Before you sign any MSA, run through this 14-point checklist covering scope, payment, IP, liability, term, termination, and dispute resolution.
Are Non-Compete Agreements Still Enforceable in 2026?
Federal and state changes have gutted non-compete enforceability. Here's where they still hold up, where they don't, and what to use instead.
The 8 Clauses That Matter Most in a Real Estate Purchase Agreement
From inspection contingencies to seller disclosures, the eight clauses every real estate investor should read before signing a purchase agreement.
Force Majeure After the Pandemic: What Actually Changed
Post-2020 force majeure drafting: pandemics, supply chain, government action, and the new language courts are enforcing. With model clauses.
Mutual vs. One-Way NDAs: Which One You Actually Need
Most NDAs are signed without thought. Mutual vs. one-way, term length, residuals, and the carve-outs that determine whether the NDA helps or hurts you.
5 Freelancer Contract Mistakes That Quietly Lose You Money
From late-pay language to IP transfer traps, here are the five clauses freelancers misuse most — and the exact language to fix each one.
AI Contract Review vs. a Lawyer: When to Use Which
AI contract review is fast and cheap. A lawyer is contextual and accountable. Here's the real decision framework — including the deal sizes where AI is enough and where it isn't.
What Is an Indemnification Clause? A Plain-English Guide
Indemnification is the most-negotiated and least-understood clause in business contracts. Here's what it means, why it matters, and how to negotiate it.
10 Red Flags Every Founder Should Spot in a SaaS Contract
A founder's checklist of the ten clauses that quietly cost startups money — auto-renewal traps, uncapped liability, IP grabs, and how to fix each one.