Contract Drafting, Review & Negotiation
Accord & Shield Legal drafts, reviews, and negotiates business contracts for companies in Arizona, California, and Texas, including commercial, corporate, technology, and employment agreements. A review before signing can help identify terms that shift risk before they become binding.
Every business runs on agreements. We make sure yours work for you — drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts that anticipate risk and hold up when it matters.
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A contract is only as strong as its weakest clause. Whether you’re signing a vendor agreement, hiring a contractor, or structuring a partnership, the language you agree to today determines your exposure tomorrow. Accord & Shield Legal helps businesses across Arizona, California, and Texas put agreements in place that are clear, enforceable, and built around your goals.
That includes the agreements technology companies run on: SaaS and subscription agreements, enterprise MSAs, vendor and procurement terms, and the indemnity and liability provisions that decide who carries the risk. If you’re building a company, our founder hub maps the contracts most startups need by stage. Enterprise buyers increasingly send AI-specific riders alongside these agreements — see AI governance.
Contracts We Handle
If your business runs on it, we can draft, review, and negotiate it. Our practice spans the full range of commercial, corporate, technology, and employment agreements — organized below by the part of your business they support.
Commercial & Operational
- Service & vendor agreements
- Master service agreements (MSAs) & statements of work
- Sales, supply & distribution agreements
- Reseller, referral & channel-partner agreements
- Manufacturing & supplier contracts
- Purchase & procurement agreements
We also handle profit participation and profit-sharing agreements — revenue shares, participating notes, and profit-sharing provisions in operating and partnership agreements.
Corporate & Business Law
- Operating, partnership & shareholder agreements
- Founder & equity agreements
- Mergers & acquisition agreements (asset & stock purchase)
- Buy-sell & ownership-transfer agreements
- Investment, SAFE & convertible-note agreements
- Joint venture & profit-participation agreements
Technology & IP
- SaaS & software subscription agreements
- Software licensing & end-user license agreements (EULAs)
- Technology & IP licensing agreements
- Data processing & data-sharing agreements
- Terms of service & privacy policies
- Development, API & integration agreements
Employment & Confidentiality
- Employment & offer-letter agreements
- Independent contractor & consulting agreements
- Non-disclosure & confidentiality agreements (NDAs)
- Non-compete, non-solicit & IP-assignment agreements
- Bonus & commission agreements
- Severance & separation agreements
- Contractor & freelancer master agreements
Public Sector & Procurement
- Subcontract & teaming agreements
- Flow-down clause review
- Public-sector customer terms
- Proposal & bid documentation
- Reconciling government terms with your standard agreements
This isn’t an exhaustive list. If your business depends on an agreement that isn’t shown here — from commercial leases to franchise agreements to bespoke deal documents — we can almost certainly help. Tell us what you need.
Drafting That Anticipates Risk
Good contract drafting isn’t about adding more pages — it’s about closing the gaps that cause disputes. We write in plain, enforceable language, define the terms that actually matter, and build in protections for the scenarios most people don’t think about until it’s too late: late payment, scope creep, early termination, indemnification, and dispute resolution. And if a deal does go sideways, we also handle breach of contract matters across all three states.
Review Before You Sign
Presented with someone else’s contract? Don’t sign it blind. We review agreements line by line, flag the clauses that expose you, and tell you in clear terms what’s standard, what’s negotiable, and what’s a dealbreaker — so you negotiate from a position of knowledge.
Negotiation Support
When terms need to change, we help you get there. We translate your business priorities into contract language and advocate for the revisions that protect you, while keeping the deal — and the relationship — on track.
When a Contract Is Breached: Enforcement & Demand Letters
A contract only matters if it holds up when the other side doesn’t. When a vendor won’t pay, a partner ignores the terms, or a counterparty walks away from the deal, we move to protect your position — often starting with a demand letter: a formal notice from your attorney demanding payment, performance, or that certain conduct stop. A well-drafted demand letter signals that you are serious and frequently resolves the matter before anyone files suit.
Many disputes are settled at this stage through a demand letter, negotiation, or settlement — faster and far less expensively than litigation. When the other side won’t resolve things fairly, we are prepared to escalate and pursue your claim through the appropriate forum. For founders and business owners, that means one firm that drafts the agreement, reviews it, negotiates it, and stands behind it when it counts.
Contract Counsel by City
We draft, review, and negotiate contracts for businesses across Arizona, California, and Texas. Find contract counsel for your city:
Every agreement, built to protect you.
From vendor terms to complex commercial deals — we make sure the fine print works in your favor. For software-specific agreements — SaaS subscriptions, licenses, DPAs, and SLAs — see our SaaS & software agreement practice.
The Intellectual Property Inside Your Contracts
Many of the highest-stakes clauses in a business contract are intellectual property clauses. Who owns the deliverables a contractor builds for you? Does your license survive if the relationship ends? Is the work-for-hire language actually effective — or does ownership quietly stay with the vendor? We draft and review IP assignment, licensing, and confidentiality provisions as part of everyday contract work.
And because the firm also handles trademark and copyright registration — supported by our of counsel trademark attorney — your contract language and your underlying registrations stay consistent instead of drifting apart. Learn more about our intellectual property practice.
Contracts FAQs
Do I really need a lawyer to review a contract?
If the agreement carries meaningful financial or legal risk — significant money, ongoing obligations, intellectual property, or liability exposure — a review is well worth it. A short review now is almost always cheaper than a dispute later. We can tell you quickly whether a contract needs attention.
How long does it take to draft a contract?
It depends on complexity. A straightforward agreement can often be turned around in a few days; more complex, negotiated contracts take longer. Either way, you’ll know the full timeline before any work begins.
Can you review a contract someone else drafted?
Yes. Contract review is one of our most common services. We’ll identify the terms that expose you, explain what they mean in plain language, and recommend changes before you sign.
Do you handle contracts in all three states?
We serve clients across Arizona, California, and Texas. Reach out and we’ll confirm how we can best help with your specific agreement and jurisdiction.
Do you work on contracts where the customer is a government agency?
Yes. Technology companies selling into state, local, or federal government are often handed terms that differ from their standard commercial agreements — subcontract and teaming arrangements, clauses flowed down from a prime contractor, and public-sector terms that may conflict with the company’s own paper. We draft and negotiate those agreements, and review the contract documentation that goes into a proposal, the same way we handle any customer or vendor contract.
This is contract work. It does not include the procurement process itself — bid protests, set-aside eligibility, or compliance opinions under the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Where a matter needs that, we say so and coordinate with counsel who handles it.
What if my contract has already been breached?
We help on both sides of a contract — before and after a problem. If a vendor won’t pay, a partner ignores the terms, or a counterparty walks away, we can send a demand letter on your behalf and work to resolve it through negotiation or settlement, and pursue the claim further when the other side won’t cooperate. A demand letter is often the fastest, least expensive way to enforce a contract.
Comparing participation structures? See what each one actually grants.
What to Expect on a Contract Matter
Before drafting starts, we settle three things: what the work covers, the date it has to be ready by, and what it is likely to cost.
What the work covers
Whether we are drafting an agreement from scratch, reviewing one sent to you, or negotiating terms already on the table. We confirm which of those it is, and say plainly what falls outside it.
Your actual deadline
The date that genuinely matters — a signing, a board meeting, a customer go-live — and what has to happen before it. Where a counterparty controls the pace, we identify that at the outset.
Fees and their assumptions
An estimate resting on stated assumptions: how many agreements, how many rounds of negotiation are likely, and how much redrafting to expect. A flat fee where the scope can be defined clearly.
If the scope changes
Counterparties reopen settled points and deals grow. If something materially changes the work, you hear about it when it happens rather than on an invoice.
We discuss anticipated fees and their assumptions before work begins, and flag anything that would change them. More on how we work →
Protect What You’re Building.
The right time to involve a lawyer is before you sign — not after a dispute. A short conversation now can save you far more later.
Book an Initial Consultation
The initial consultation is not legal advice. Bring a short, nonconfidential description of the situation and any real deadline.
Please do not send sensitive documents or confidential information before we confirm we can assist you. Scheduling a consultation does not create an attorney-client relationship.