Adobe Acrobat Sign
Legally binding agreements are the backbone of business relationships. It’s critical to have an effective review process that keeps your contracts in check.
Business services, employment arrangements, large purchases, and more — they all hinge on accurate contracts. That’s where the contract review process comes in. Before anyone signs a contract, your team should read and understand each line of it to make sure it’s fair and correct.
Some small businesses might use the review services of a contract attorney, while others may rely on themselves or their in-house legal teams to look over contracts. A thorough review helps make sure both parties are on the same page and prevents legal problems down the line. Plus, working with a contract lawyer ensures that all the terms of the contract are lawful.
Processing contracts online instead of on paper saves time. Even when it comes to just the signing step, companies save 1.3 hours on average each time they use electronic signatures instead of pen and ink. When it comes to reviewing contracts, a digital process enables you to instantly share documents with everyone on your review team — no printing, mailing, or travel necessary. And a program like Acrobat Sign means you can check the status of your contracts as often as you need.
While anyone can review contracts, a contract review lawyer specializes in creating, revising, and reviewing contracts. Working with a law firm or legal team can help business owners better understand contracts and legal documents before they sign them or send them to other parties to sign. Having a legal review process can also help your team know what to do in the event of breach of contract or the inability of either party to perform what is outlined in an agreement.
Along with legal advice, contract review lawyers can help with contract renegotiation to satisfy their clients’ needs. Some lawyers charge by the hour for contract work while others charge a flat fee, the amount of which depends on the complexity of the contract.
Many types of contracts can benefit from a solid contract review process. Employment contracts are crucial for the start of new jobs, and if your company is hiring often, it’s important to be sure your contracts are fair and legal. Some employment contracts are more elaborate than others. For example, physician employment contracts are complex because of the demands of healthcare jobs, and contract review on both sides before signing is a good idea.
Purchase agreements and service contracts are commonly used by businesses of all sizes to acquire or sell property, time, or expertise. From real estate to office supplies, IT support to advertising work — you should carefully vet any new contract your team creates or receives before it’s signed.
Hiring a legal team doesn’t always make sense financially — especially for one-time contracts for events like starting a new job, leasing a car, or signing up for a new gym. If you’re reviewing a contract without a lawyer, consult the list below. This checklist outlines items to pay special attention to as you go through each document. If anything looks out of place, request an edit or renegotiation of that item.
Set aside enough time to do a thorough review of each contract. Don’t review things on your own — have other people look over contracts as well, whether they’re trusted friends or a legal team. If your business works with contracts on a regular basis, set up a contract review system including steps for drafting, review, revisions, and signing. Revisit old contracts on a regular basis to make sure they’re still correct.
Take your contract drafting, reviewing, and e-signing process online with Acrobat Sign and save time and money. Going paperless makes things easier on you and your clients. Your contract recipients don’t need to have an Acrobat Sign or Adobe Acrobat account in order to pull up and sign contracts on any device.
No matter where your clients are, exchange documents, leave comments, and swap e-signatures instantly. No more waiting on mail deliveries, lost documents, or time zone changes. When you share contracts with Acrobat Sign, you can see real-time updates on their statuses.
Use Adobe Acrobat to make any necessary revisions to your contracts that come out of contract reviews. Create or edit your PDF documents with ease, and even make contract templates so drafting your next contract is a breeze.
It’s easy to instantly add comments, markups, and highlights for others to see, making the contract review process painless. Simply add comments for suggested edits and revisions, and pass back the final contract for team review.
Once your contract is reviewed and ready, send it to be e-signed right from Acrobat Sign or Acrobat using the emails of recipients. If you’re working with sensitive information, password-protect your PDFs and control the permission levels for who can access, edit, or print them.
With the tools available in Acrobat and Acrobat Sign, you have what you need for a streamlined contract management and review process. Whether you’re writing or receiving agreements, a well-thought-out review means you’re doing business with accurate, fair, and legal contracts.