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The Agreements Lawyer Behind the Clauses That Close Deals

Founders get caught out when handshake deals fall apart, equity expectations aren’t written down, or suppliers pull out over unclear terms. Agreements lawyers turn those pressure points into contracts that hold.

Agreements Lawyers Who Fix What Templates Miss

Most founders come to us with a contract that’s already been drafted, sometimes by a platform, sometimes by AI, and often by the other party. On the surface, it looks complete. But important terms are missing, key risks are unaddressed, or the language has been shaped to benefit someone else. These gaps don’t usually show up until there’s tension. By then, it’s expensive to fix and harder to enforce. Our role as agreements lawyers is to step in early and structure contracts that are clear, defensible, and built for real-world pressure. Here’s how we do it:

We rebuild the agreement from what was actually agreed.

Founders often believe the contract reflects their understanding, but it rarely does. Informal agreements, conversations, and assumptions don’t automatically translate into enforceable terms. We start by reviewing how the deal was formed; from emails, pitch decks, or verbal promises and then rewrite the agreement to reflect the true commercial intent in plain language.

We add the clauses founders usually miss or were never told to ask for.

The most common contract failures aren’t due to bad clauses, but missing ones. These include IP ownership, equity vesting, control provisions, dispute escalation paths, and exit triggers. We identify these blind spots, explain why they matter, and incorporate the protections most founders only realise they needed when it’s too late.

We test the agreement for friction before it happens.

We don’t assume a contract will be used only in good times. Instead, we walk it through likely points of failure; a late-stage investor raising questions, a co-founder stepping back, a customer delaying payment. We assess how the agreement holds up under stress and adjust the terms so that the document remains enforceable, not just well-worded.

We finalise the agreement and prepare it for use in the real world.

Once the terms are confirmed, we format the contract clearly, remove ambiguity, and prepare it for signing. You receive a complete, editable version in Word and PDF, with final clauses reviewed and referenced. If changes are made by the other party, we provide a markup version and advise which clauses should not be compromised. The goal is not just to finish the document, but to leave you with something you can negotiate with confidence and rely on if terms are tested later.

The Agreements We Draft Most and the Problems They Prevent

Some documents sit in a folder and never cause trouble. Others decide what happens when deals break, when ownership is challenged, or when funding depends on getting things right. This is the point most people realise they didn’t need a lawyer to draft a document, they needed one to stop the wrong one from being signed. Below are the agreement types that shape outcomes when it counts.

Agreement Type	When You Use It	What It Protects You From
Founders Agreement	When two or more people are forming a company and want to set clear rules around roles, equity, and exits.	Prevents misunderstandings over who owns what, who makes decisions, and what happens if someone stops contributing or leaves early. Avoids disputes that freeze progress.
Supplier Agreement	When you engage a third party to deliver goods, services, or critical inputs to your business.	Holds suppliers accountable for timelines, quality, pricing, and delivery terms. Prevents cost blowouts and delays that impact your ability to deliver or launch.
Client Service Agreement	When you’re offering products or services to paying clients, especially in custom or ongoing work.	Sets boundaries around scope, payment terms, and responsibilities. Helps prevent unpaid invoices, unclear deliverables, and project blowouts.
IP Assignment Agreement	When you’re using contractors, agencies, or collaborators to build anything involving brand, product, or tech.	Ensures your company legally owns what it paid to create. Avoids disputes during fundraising or sale when IP ownership is unclear or retained by a third party.
Shareholders Agreement	When you’re issuing shares to a co-founder, advisor, investor, or new business partner.	Sets the rules for control, exits, funding rounds, and decision-making. Prevents future deadlocks, forced sales, or silent dilution.
Licensing Agreement	When you allow someone else to use your IP; software, brand, content, or product under specific terms.	Limits how, where, and for how long your IP can be used. Prevents unauthorised replication, sublicensing, or value leakage from unclear or informal terms.

The Mistakes We Catch. The Pace We Move. The Way It’s Built.

We track what actually matters. Not firm-wide billables, not response times on calls. We track how often we catch serious risk in supposedly “final” documents, how quickly we get founders back into negotiation, and how many deals were saved by redrafting what someone thought was ready to sign.

97% of contracts flagged for major changes

We’re not here to wordsmith. We’ve removed board control hidden in equity terms, flagged indemnities that would’ve kicked in on day one, and rewritten clauses meant to confuse more than clarify. Most of these came to us marked “final.” They weren’t.

2.4-day average for annotated reviews

Speed without shortcuts. We return marked-up documents with commentary, flagged clauses, and recommended fallback positions — usually within 48 hours. You’re not waiting a week to find out if your contract is safe to sign.

126 agreements written or rebuilt in the past year

Founder equity splits. SaaS licensing. Term sheets. Hybrid share deals. Most weren’t clean when we got them. Every one now reflects the actual deal that was done, not what someone copied into a template and hoped would pass.

Think Your Agreement Is Fine? Let’s Find Out

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Clause for Concern? Ask an Agreements Lawyer

What does an agreements lawyer actually do?

An agreements lawyer translates commercial deals into clear, enforceable contracts. They don’t just copy-paste terms; they draft, review, and negotiate documents so they hold up under pressure. This includes co-founder agreements, share subscription deeds, licensing terms, and supply contracts. Their job is to make sure what’s on paper reflects what was agreed and protects your position if things turn.

Do I need an agreements lawyer if I already have a contract draft?

Yes. Most contract problems come from documents that look fine until they’re tested. If the draft came from the other side, there’s a good chance key terms were framed to suit their interests. Agreements lawyers read between the clauses and flag one-sided language, vague obligations, and high-risk omissions that templates miss.

What types of business agreements do lawyers usually handle?

Agreements lawyers handle a wide range of contracts, including founders agreements, shareholders agreements, licensing deals, contractor agreements, IP transfers, SaaS terms, NDAs, and exit clauses. If the document defines who controls what, who owns what, or what happens when it breaks, it should be reviewed. According to the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, poor contract clarity is a leading cause of commercial disputes (ASBFEO 2022).

What is a retainer agreement with a lawyer?

A retainer agreement is a written contract that sets out the terms of an ongoing legal relationship. Instead of engaging a lawyer for a one-off job, a retainer gives you access to advice and document review as needed, usually for a fixed monthly fee. This is common for startups, agencies, or scale-ups that need legal input across multiple contracts but aren’t ready for in-house counsel. A good retainer agreement should define scope, turnaround time, and how unused hours roll over (if at all). You can read more about retainer structures in the Law Council of Australia’s Best Practice Guidelines for Client Legal Costs.

The Agreements Lawyer Behind the Clauses That Close Deals

Agreements Lawyers Who Fix What Templates Miss

We rebuild the agreement from what was actually agreed.

We add the clauses founders usually miss or were never told to ask for.

We test the agreement for friction before it happens.

We finalise the agreement and prepare it for use in the real world.

The Agreements We Draft Most and the Problems They Prevent

The Mistakes We Catch. The Pace We Move. The Way It’s Built.

97% of contracts flagged for major changes

2.4-day average for annotated reviews

126 agreements written or rebuilt in the past year

Think Your Agreement Is Fine? Let’s Find Out

Clause for Concern? Ask an Agreements Lawyer

What does an agreements lawyer actually do?

Do I need an agreements lawyer if I already have a contract draft?

What types of business agreements do lawyers usually handle?

What is a retainer agreement with a lawyer?

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The Agreements Lawyer Behind the Clauses That Close Deals

Agreements Lawyers Who Fix What Templates Miss

We rebuild the agreement from what was actually agreed.

We add the clauses founders usually miss or were never told to ask for.

We test the agreement for friction before it happens.

We finalise the agreement and prepare it for use in the real world.

The Agreements We Draft Most and the Problems They Prevent

The Mistakes We Catch. The Pace We Move. The Way It’s Built.

97% of contracts flagged for major changes

2.4-day average for annotated reviews

126 agreements written or rebuilt in the past year

Think Your Agreement Is Fine? Let’s Find Out

Clause for Concern? Ask an Agreements Lawyer

What does an agreements lawyer actually do?

Do I need an agreements lawyer if I already have a contract draft?

What types of business agreements do lawyers usually handle?

What is a retainer agreement with a lawyer?

Services

Services​

Signup for updates

We Help you rise above...

Contact Information

Legals

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