Drafting

Strategies, tips and best practices for drafting and negotiating contracts.

Y-Combinator SAFE Agreement Briefing

Matias expounds on his teardown of the Y Combinator SAFE Agreements, discussing why this document is important and some of the common practices to watch out for.

Cannabis Simple Agreement for Future Equity

The primary goal of the cannabis Safe is to address the regulatory complexities that come with raising money in the industry. For example, depending on whether a company is raising a priced round (i.e., selling equity at a fixed valuation) or a convertible security round (i.e., a Safe or convertible note), each triggers different regulatory reporting and/or approval processes.

Negotiation Skills – Art of Manipulation

The role of lawyers in a transaction ranges not only from document drafting and reviewing but also to negotiating. In fact, from my perspective, drafting and reviewing documents are the basic skills that each and every lawyer must be well-equipped with while negotiation technique is what defines an outstanding lawyer.

How to Write an International Commercial Arbitration Agreement

Successfully crafting an international commercial arbitration agreement requires the writer to incorporate certain fundamental elements into the text.

Key Insights to Match and Draft an Agreement Under Common Law and Civil Law

Whenever a transcontinental commercial opportunity or a business operation is expected to take place, one of the core challenges to face from the legal counselling standpoint relies on the need to match the parties’ legal frameworks into one single agreement. This task is usually taken to the next level when the parties’ law families differ from each other. That is, when Common Law and Civil Law frameworks are to convene.

Lawyers Need to Share the Technology Love

If you’re like most lawyers, you love your smartphone. Some might even call it romantic love. We bring our smartphones everywhere. According to the latest stats, most lawyers probably spend more time looking at their smartphones than they do talking to their friends.

Maximize Lawyer Value and Minimize Billable Hours

Legal services are too often a black box. You don’t know what your lawyer is doing. The lawyer doesn’t know enough about what you need. A few phone calls here, a few drafts there, and a few weeks later you have a mediocre work product, a fatty hourly bill, and you learned nothing to arm your team for the future.

Practical Drafting Tips for the Rookie Contract Lawyer

Contract drafting is a mixture of art and skill.  Effective contract drafting is concise, precise, and unambiguous.  Instead of the persuasiveness of a legal brief, contract drafting is a matter-of-fact memorialization of the parties’ understandings.

A General Counsel in the Middle East and Elsewhere

I filed a claim against a large company for not paying for the custom work my client had completed for them. Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all description for this position, the General Counsel of a GCC company can expect to wear multiple hats as the owners of the company can tend to hold a very diversified investment portfolio.

The Costs of Free Speech and Silence for Businesses

Silence may be louder and say more to people than you’d think. As lawyers, we care deeply about justice, and as business lawyers, we know that you have to weigh the costs and benefits. 

Some Insight on Force Majeure in Israeli Contract Law

The Israeli legal system, like many of its counterparts around the globe, is struggling to wrap its head around the legal implications of the COVID-19 crisis.

Agile or Waterfall: Balancing Legal and IT needs with Acceptance Criteria

The success of any project depends on the ability of a development team to meet their client’s needs

In Egypt: In view of Corona, the difference between force majeure and emergency circumstance, concerning the contractual obligations

This pandemic is an emergency circumstance, which causes the debtor to be exhausted from carrying out its obligation.

Fifty (50) Tips for Drafting Contracts

These tips apply to writing all kinds of contracts: sales contracts, lease agreements, employment contracts, licensing agreements. You name it.

“Should I Stay or Should I Go” – Retail Lease Assignment, Sublease and Termination Considerations

This article discusses these various options from a retail landlord and retail tenant perspective, with apologies to those who can’t get the following tunes “out of their head.”

Document Execution in the Era of Covid-19

The one thing that we can all be certain about right now, regardless of beliefs or political affiliation, is that we live in a time of great uncertainty.

Document Management Is The Foundation Of The Company's Operations.

"Document management" starts with the "organization of documents".

Rediscover the Risk Shifting Power of Indemnity Clauses

Learn how to draft a clause that will protect your client from unexpected, future financial expenditures.

Seven Principles to Level-Up Your Business Negotiation Game

Keeping these seven principles in mind will help you approach every negotiation prepared, confident, and ready to negotiate like a seasoned pro.

The Majority of Contracting Parties Don't Believe in the American Rule

When drafting, reviewing, or revising Fees provisions, it is important to note that courts interpret the clause narrowly given that the American Rule is preferred.

When Lawyers Become Crisis Managers

Although you cannot make lemonade from apples, you can lead by making apple juice.

Why NDA's are essential for Due Diligence

NDAs can be as different as snowflakes because the needs and goals of each party will change over time and the way the IP will be transferred, licensed, and utilized changes depending on your intended business endeavor. But, at least initially, it does not matter if you are presenting a business idea, trying to sell your company, reviewing third-party vendors or considering R&D partnerships, the discussions surrounding an NDA should always begin with the same series of questions.

Duty of Good Faith and its implications on performance and negotiation of commercial contracts in Canada post Covid-19

Can I terminate this contract? Did I “freely negotiate” all the terms of the contract? These are the questions commercial actors are facing amid the spread of Covid-19.

Convertible notes and SAFEs — The least you should know!

Think of the SAFE as a convertible note with the event of default, interest, and maturity date provisions stripped out. They come in several forms, with the primary differences between them being interest and maturity.

Contract Playbooks Aren’t Enough

Playbooks ensure we are putting our best foot forward when generating new agreements.

Negotiating Rental Leases During Coronavirus

Business lawyers are only limited by our creativity in how we help our clients navigate their commercial leases during this time.

Collaboration Strategies for Lawyers

Not every collaborative situation will entail taking the same approach.