The most useful finding is rarely a single bad term. It is a term that reads differently in the Chinese version, or a point you agreed in the negotiation that never made it into the document.
What we review
| Area | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Price, fees and payment | How the price is set and adjusted, when each payment falls due, and what triggers it |
| Scope and performance | What each side must actually do, by when, and how performance is measured |
| Exclusivity and territory | What you are giving up, for how long, and what you receive in return |
| Term, renewal and termination | How you get out, what notice it takes, and what it costs to leave |
| Cost and risk allocation | Liability caps, indemnities and warranties, read for where the commercial exposure sits |
| Intellectual property and confidentiality | Who owns what is created or shared, and what the other side may do with it |
| Language versions | Every divergence between the versions, and which version the contract says prevails |
| Disputes clause | The forum and governing law as written, recorded for your lawyer |
What you receive
A commercial advice letter
The key commercial risks in the contract, the positions we recommend and the points to negotiate, in order of what matters most to your business.
A clause-by-clause table
Every clause with its commercial effect, any difference between language versions, and our recommendation.
Negotiating points
What to ask for, what to offer in return, and the wording of the ask in Chinese so it lands the way you mean it.
Points for your lawyer
Questions of validity, enforceability or legal effect, listed separately so a qualified lawyer can deal with them quickly.
How it runs
- Send us the contract and a short note on the deal: what you are trying to achieve and anything already agreed in negotiation.
- Fixed quote. We confirm the scope, the fee and the delivery date in writing before we start.
- Review. Line by line, including any Chinese version, with a short call if we need to understand a commercial point.
- Letter and walkthrough. You receive the commercial advice letter and the review table, and we walk you through them.
Often booked alongside it
Negotiation Support
We join the negotiation, in person or by video, to press the points in the letter on your brief.
Certified Translation
Where one language version is missing, or a bank or registry needs a certified rendering of the signed contract.
Common questions
- Is this a legal review?
- No. It is a commercial review: what each term commits you to, what it costs you, where the risk sits and what is worth negotiating. Whether a clause is valid or enforceable under the governing law is a legal question, and the letter lists those points so a qualified lawyer can take them up.
- What if the contract has a Chinese version?
- We review it too. Where a contract exists in more than one language, differences between the versions are often the most valuable findings, particularly where the contract says the Chinese text prevails. We note every place the two say different things and what that difference means for you commercially.
- Can you help us negotiate the changes?
- Yes. The letter sets out the negotiating points and the positions we recommend, and our Negotiation Support service can put us at the table with you to press them.
- What kinds of contract do you review?
- Commercial agreements with Chinese counterparts: distribution, agency and licensing agreements, service and cooperation agreements, joint venture and partnership term sheets, leases and similar. Send it to us and we confirm the scope and the fixed fee before we start.
A commercial review of the contract’s terms and their business implications. It does not give an opinion on validity, enforceability or legal effect; the letter lists those points for a qualified lawyer.
