--- title: "Due Diligence: Boxes to Check Before Signing a Contract" description: To help you avoid a disaster in contract negotiation due diligence, here are 6 key items to check off before signing on the dotted line. image: https://blog.linksquares.com/hubfs/Due%20Diligence%20-%20Copy%20of%20Legal%20Best%20Practices_Thumbnail.png --- [Skip to content](https://blog.linksquares.com/due-diligence-check-before-signing-contract#main-content) [LinkSquares](https://blog.linksquares.com/) Open Mobile Menu [LinkSquares](https://linksquares.com/) Close Mobile Menu [Why LinkSquares](https://linksquares.com/why-linksquares/) [Products](https://linksquares.com/products/) --- [The LinkSquares Cloud One platform for all your in-house legal needs](https://linksquares.com/products/linksquares-cloud/) --- Contract Lifecycle Management Create, review, manage and sign contracts Legal Project Management Centralize your work and keep projects moving Cross-product capabilities Get scalability, efficiency and connectivity LinkSquares Onboarding Experience A step by step guide to get started today --- [Solutions](https://linksquares.com/solutions/) [Customer Stories](https://linksquares.com/customers/) Resources Content [LinkSquares+ Content curated for in-house leaders](https://linksquares.com/plus/) [The Library](https://linksquares.com/library/) In the studio [Demo Library](https://linksquares.com/demo-library/) Community & Events [Customer Stories](https://linksquares.com/customers/) [Events & Webinars](https://linksquares.com/events/) Learning [Blog](https://blog.linksquares.com/) [In-House Insights](https://linksquares.com/inhouse-insights/) [Knowledge Base](https://help.linksquares.com/) [Events](https://linksquares.com/events/) [About Us](https://linksquares.com/about-us/) [Careers](https://linksquares.com/careers/) [Press](https://blog.linksquares.com/tag/linksquares-news-press) [Pricing](https://linksquares.com/pricing/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Contract Lifecycle Management](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Finalize Streamline your contract creation process](https://linksquares.com/products/finalize/) [Sign Get your contracts executed faster](https://linksquares.com/products/sign/) [Analyze Your post-signature analytics & repository](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/) [CLM Suite One platform to rule them all](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Legal Project Management](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Prioritize Manage, track, and report on legal work in one place](https://linksquares.com/products/prioritize/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Cross-product capabilities](https://linksquares.com/products/) [LinkAI Predictive and generative AI](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/features/ai/) [Integrations Connect the tools you love](https://linksquares.com/integrations/) [Reporting Improve your teams efficiency with KPIs](https://linksquares.com/products/analyze/features/dashboard/) [API Integrate with any third-party app](https://linksquares.com/integrations/linksquares-api/) [Request a demo](https://linksquares.com/demo-request/) Back Close Mobile Menu [Cross-product capabilities](https://linksquares.com/products/) [Onboarding We're here for you from day one](https://linksquares.com/onboarding-services/) [Services Short on time? 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But this simple definition doesn’t do this term justice. Due diligence is about knowing *everything* there is to know about the company, product, stakeholders, financials, risks, and rewards of a deal. It's up to the person doing the deal to act as the legal representative and not miss any details.  To help you avoid a disaster in this area, here are 6 key items to check off before signing on the dotted line: ## 1) Company Background Check - This may seem basic, but this item is overlooked far too often. Make sure you know everything you can about the company you are working with. When you’re signing a legal document for your business, proper due diligence on the company and people is your first obligation. ## 2\) Key Dates - Check each date in the contract for accuracy and make sure payment details are clear. For example, many times companies set an evergreen renewal date instead of an end date so make details like that are clear. If you’re going to pay in installments or only when work is completed to your satisfaction, say so and list dates, times, and requirements. ## 3) Correct Contacts - Are the primary contacts from both sides highlighted in the contract? If a major stakeholder changes roles or leaves the business later on, is the agreement terminated? Make sure the correct legal names of the parties are in the contract so it’s clear who is responsible for performing the obligations under the agreement. Last, identify the business by its correct legal name, including the INC or LLC suffix so that you have proper legal rights if things go wrong.   ## 4) Clear Obligations - It’s way too common that a contract is executed and some key obligations were not addressed. Check that your obligations are clearly and simply spelled out. If you see a lot of legalese or excessive text that could be an indication to read carefully, and if you still aren’t clear, ask for the clause to be clarified or re-written. Most importantly, set out the circumstances under which the parties can terminate the contract and make sure both sides are clear on expectations. ## 5) Double-Check Finances - The numbers are often the most common negotiation topic, so it’s hard to believe that sometimes this detail can be overlooked. Make sure all the commas and decimal points are in the right place. After all, you could be just one extra zero away from a voided contract or a serious corporate dispute.   ## 6) Understood Risks - After all research has been done, dates and numbers have been checked, and stakeholders have been included, it’s time for one last high-level summary. Go over the full contract and make sure everyone on your team has a good understanding of the agreement and that all stakeholders are on the same page. Last, don’t leave any details out; if you discuss something verbally but it’s not in the contract, it will be next to impossible to enforce. [![finance and legal ](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/6934676/1cbf161f-9367-4215-ab0f-7af70bfe8d53.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/6934676/1cbf161f-9367-4215-ab0f-7af70bfe8d53) Once all stakeholders have fully bought in and understand the scope of their responsibilities, you can finally sign the contract knowing that you’ve done proper due diligence. If you are curious about more tips to help with contract negotiation processes, [subscribe to our blog](https://go.linksquares.com/blog-subscription?utm_content=229219475&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-6615109).  För att ta reda på detta genom viagra bieffekter att fylla i ett kort. Sannolikheten för att du skulle uppleva några av följande [medsapotek.com](https://medsapotek.com/kopa-levitra-online-receptfritt/) biverkningar ska du viagra bieffekter alltid. ## Subscribe to the LinkSquares Blog Stay up to date on best practices for GCs and legal teams, current events, legal tech, and more. ## Related Articles ### [Christina Sullivan Jul 21, 2023 6 min read How Contract Analytics Promotes Data-Driven Decision-Making Imagine your company is raising a funding round to expand the business and scale the go-to-market strategy. This is a great ... Start Reading](https://blog.linksquares.com/how-contract-analytics-promotes-data-driven-decision-making) ### [Christina Sullivan Jul 24, 2023 7 min read 3 Red Flags That Your Contract Management Processes Are Inefficient If you store your agreements in a spreadsheet that you expect your team to update regularly and have a dedicated folder where ... Start Reading](https://blog.linksquares.com/3-red-flags-that-your-contract-management-processes-are-inefficient) ### [Christina Sullivan Jul 17, 2023 6 min read How to Streamline Tasks, Reduce Stress, and Prioritize Yourself Lawyers are the protectors of the business. They ensure that the company and each function within it have what they need to ... 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But this simple definition doesn’t do this term justice. Due diligence is about knowing everything there is to know about the company, product, stakeholders, financials, risks, and rewards of a deal. It's up to the person doing the deal to act as the legal representative and not miss any details. To help you avoid a disaster in this area, here are 6 key items to check off before signing on the dotted line: 1) Company Background Check This may seem basic, but this item is overlooked far too often. Make sure you know everything you can about the company you are working with. When you’re signing a legal document for your business, proper due diligence on the company and people is your first obligation. 2) Key Dates Check each date in the contract for accuracy and make sure payment details are clear. For example, many times companies set an evergreen renewal date instead of an end date so make details like that are clear. If you’re going to pay in installments or only when work is completed to your satisfaction, say so and list dates, times, and requirements. 3) Correct Contacts Are the primary contacts from both sides highlighted in the contract? If a major stakeholder changes roles or leaves the business later on, is the agreement terminated? Make sure the correct legal names of the parties are in the contract so it’s clear who is responsible for performing the obligations under the agreement. Last, identify the business by its correct legal name, including the INC or LLC suffix so that you have proper legal rights if things go wrong. 4) Clear Obligations It’s way too common that a contract is executed and some key obligations were not addressed. Check that your obligations are clearly and simply spelled out. If you see a lot of legalese or excessive text that could be an indication to read carefully, and if you still aren’t clear, ask for the clause to be clarified or re-written. Most importantly, set out the circumstances under which the parties can terminate the contract and make sure both sides are clear on expectations. 5) Double-Check Finances The numbers are often the most common negotiation topic, so it’s hard to believe that sometimes this detail can be overlooked. Make sure all the commas and decimal points are in the right place. After all, you could be just one extra zero away from a voided contract or a serious corporate dispute. 6) Understood Risks After all research has been done, dates and numbers have been checked, and stakeholders have been included, it’s time for one last high-level summary. Go over the full contract and make sure everyone on your team has a good understanding of the agreement and that all stakeholders are on the same page. Last, don’t leave any details out; if you discuss something verbally but it’s not in the contract, it will be next to impossible to enforce. Once all stakeholders have fully bought in and understand the scope of their responsibilities, you can finally sign the contract knowing that you’ve done proper due diligence. If you are curious about more tips to help with contract negotiation processes, subscribe to our blog. För att ta reda på detta genom viagra bieffekter att fylla i ett kort. Sannolikheten för att du skulle uppleva några av följande medsapotek.com biverkningar ska du viagra bieffekter alltid.", "url" : "https://blog.linksquares.com/due-diligence-check-before-signing-contract", "wordCount" : "993" } ```