MKB Juristen drafts custom legal documents
It is best not to cobble together or copy important contracts, terms and conditions, and other legal documents yourself. We help entrepreneurs on a budget with customized legal solutions, clear costs upfront, and practical explanations.
- Custom contracts, terms and conditions, and legal documents
- Budget-friendly and clear about the costs upfront
- Request a free consultation or a no-obligation quote
Having a contract reviewed means that a legal expert goes through the document for liability, payment, termination, intellectual property, and confidentiality, and returns a marked version with explanatory notes. The turnaround time is 1-5 working days for a standard SME contract. You will not receive an “approved” stamp, but concrete, priority-based amendment proposals. Costs range between €250 and €1,500 for most SME agreements. Below is an explanation of how the process works and exactly what a legal expert reviews.
The short answer
- What a legal expert assesses: liability, payment, dissolution, IP, confidentiality, penalty, duration.
- How it works: sharing contract, brief context, check, delivery with markup and memo.
- Turnaround time: 1-5 business days standard, express 24-48 hours at a premium.
- What you get back: highlighted version (track changes) + explanation per point.
- Costs: €250-€1,500 for most SME contracts.
- You can do it yourself: with standard templates and small, well-known parties.
What exactly a lawyer checks
A legal expert does not read linearly from front to back, but checks by risk category. These are the blocks that always come up:
Liability
- Is the liability limited to an amount (for example, the contract value)?
- Is indirect and consequential damage excluded?
- Does the limitation apply mutually or only to the opposing party?
Payment
- Payment term, time of invoicing, consequences of being late.
- Price indexation: capped or open?
- Right to set-off and suspension.
Dissolution and termination
- A notice period and/or automatic renewal is built in.
- Grounds for dissolution in case of breach of contract.
- What happens to ongoing obligations at the end.
Intellectual property
- Who becomes the owner of created work or software?
- Is the right of use (license) sufficiently broad?
- No unwanted transfer of own intellectual property.
Confidentiality
- Reciprocal or unilateral?
- Duration and scope of confidentiality.
- Fine for violation — with or without a ceiling.
How a check proceeds
- First contact: you describe the contract, the deadline, and the context in a few sentences.
- Quote: fixed rate or hourly estimate, usually within 24-48 hours.
- Share document: Word or PDF to the lawyer.
- Optional intake: for complex contracts, a brief discussion about your goal.
- Check: 1-5 working days, depending on size.
- Delivery: marked version + explanation.
- Consultation: by phone, 30-60 minutes for your questions.
What you get back
The result is not a yes/no. You receive a workable package:
- Highlighted version: track changes with suggested changes to the text.
- Explanation per point: why a clause is a risk and what to do about it.
- Priority: must-have versus nice-to-have. Not every comment needs to cost you a deal.
- Negotiation text: ready-made formulations to present to the opposing party.
Where things often go wrong in SME contracts
In practice, these points most frequently recur as areas for attention:
- Liability is limited only for the other party, not for you.
- Payment terms shorter than you charge your customers — cash flow problem.
- Automatic renewal with a long notice period (three months or more).
- Penalty clause where a compensation arrangement should have been.
- IP clause that is too broad and transfers your own work along with it.
Practical example
Youssef has his €45,000 software development contract checked:
- Check with an SME lawyer: €950 fixed rate, 4 working days.
- Assessed: liability, IP ownership, completion criteria, payment in installments.
- Found: all IE went to the vendor instead of to Youssef, and there was no acceptance test.
- Result: 9 proposed changes, of which 3 are must-haves. IE to Youssef, acceptance procedure built in.
Without a check, he had paid for software of which he did not become the owner.
Honest recommendation
Have content-related customization checked: supplier, collaboration, software, and employment contracts with a real interest. Ask for a fixed rate and delivery via track changes, so you can use the changes immediately. For a standard NDA you have seen before, or a small contract with a regular partner, you do not need to call us — you can handle that yourself with a checklist. A good check does not give you a stamp, but a list of concrete improvements to take to the negotiating table.
For more in-depth information: why a check is useful, which contracts to prioritize , and our contracts.
Frequently Asked Questions
A legal expert checks per risk category: liability (limited and mutual?), payment (term, indexation, set-off), dissolution and termination (term, extension), intellectual property (ownership and license), and confidentiality (reciprocal, duration, penalty). Not linearly, but at the points where the risk lies.
You describe the contract and the deadline, receive a quote within 24-48 hours, share the document, and a brief intake may follow. The check takes 1-5 working days. Afterwards, you receive a marked version plus explanation, followed by a 30-60 minute telephone consultation.
A marked version with track changes, an explanation per point (why something is a risk and what you are doing about it), a prioritization into must-have and nice-to-have, and ready-made negotiation text to present to the counterparty. No simple approve or reject.
Standard SME contract: 1-5 working days. Complex contracts (M&A, international, IP): 1-3 weeks. Urgent service within 24-48 hours is usually possible, at a premium of 25-50%. Plan well in advance, as a hasty check is less thorough and costs you negotiating room.
Most SME contracts cost between 250 and 1,500 euros. A simple document under 5 pages is around 250-500 euros, while a standard SME agreement is around 500-1,500 euros. Ask for a fixed rate so you know exactly what to expect beforehand.
Liability limited only to the counterparty, a payment term shorter than your own, automatic renewal with a long notice period, a penalty clause where a damages settlement would have been appropriate, and an overly broad IP clause that transfers your own work along with it. These are the points that recur most frequently.
For a standard NDA you have seen before or a small contract with a regular partner, you can manage with a checklist. However, for substantive custom work with a real stake (supplier, collaboration, software, or employment contracts), a legal check almost always pays off.
