How to Review a Contract Without a Lawyer: A 7-Step Checklist

Step 1: Read the money clauses first

Skip the recitals and definitions. Go straight to the payment amount and schedule, the payment terms (Net 15, 30, 60?), late payment consequences, and who covers expenses. Anything past Net 30 means you're financing your client. No late fee clause means no teeth.

If the money section is vague, stop. Everything else is secondary to whether you get paid, how much, and when.

Step 2: Find the termination clause

Every contract ends eventually — the question is how. Can either party terminate, or only one? How much notice is required? What happens to work in progress and money owed? A contract that lets the other party walk away anytime with no payment for completed work is a contract that protects only them.

Step 3: Check who owns what (IP and deliverables)

Search the document for "intellectual property," "work product," and "ownership." The key question: when does ownership transfer? "Upon creation" means you lose leverage immediately. "Upon final payment" means your invoice has enforcement power built in.

On the client side, flip it: confirm you actually receive full ownership of what you're paying for, including source files.

Step 4: Hunt for the liability bombs

Three terms to search for: indemnify, liability, and warranty. Are you agreeing to cover the other party's legal costs — for anything, or only your own negligence? Is your exposure capped (good) or unlimited (bad)? Are you promising the work will be "error-free"? Nobody can guarantee that.

Don't skip these. Liability clauses are where small contracts create six-figure exposure — and they're the clauses non-lawyers skim because the language is densest.

Step 5: Scan for restrictive covenants

Non-compete, non-solicitation, and exclusivity clauses can quietly restrict who you're allowed to work with after this contract ends. A 12-month non-compete in your niche is a much bigger cost than anything in the payment section. If you find one, ask: would I sign this if it were the only thing on the page?

Step 6: Check dispute resolution and jurisdiction

Where do disputes get resolved, and how? Courts in a distant state effectively mean you can't enforce the contract — travel and local counsel cost more than most disputes are worth. Remote arbitration or your home jurisdiction keeps enforcement realistic.

Step 7: Run the "blank spaces" check

Before signing, confirm all blanks are filled in (dates, amounts, names), that referenced exhibits actually exist and are attached, and that the legal entity names match reality — if you're signing with "ABC Holdings LLC," is that who you think you're working with?