Every so often, clients send me a contract template they’ve come up with themselves. It may be a copy-and-paste from the leaders in their market, or something they used at another company and liked.

Once, I was sent 3 separate templates so I could “pick the best wording from each” and “close faster.” It would be great if drafting worked that way, but unfortunately this approach doesn’t save legal time.

There’s definitely a place for templates. No lawyer should be drafting from scratch, and many provisions can be reused from contract to contract. And in these AI-enabled times, LLMs can be a great starting point for certain terms.

But the most effective contracts are the ones that are tailored for you. To create these, your lawyer needs your high-level input, not a handful of templates. If you spend your time getting clear on what you want the contract to achieve, and communicating that accurately, you’ll get better advice, and you probably will be able to close faster.

#ContractGoals: 4 Questions For Clients

Here are 4 areas where your input will make a significant impact on your contracts.

1. What is the deal worth to your business?
This isn’t just about the dollars in the contract. If this agreement will open the door to more business, or change the rules of a long-term relationship, share that context. If your lawyer understands how the deal fits in your overall strategy, they’ll know what points to push on versus where it makes sense to compromise.

2. What exactly are you selling or buying?
If it’s a customer agreement, explain what you’re delivering. If it’s a vendor agreement, describe what you’re expecting. Be as specific as possible, especially with technology or complex services. Help your lawyer visualize any processes the contract will affect. You might even consider connecting your lawyer directly with a team member who handles the details of your (or your key vendor’s) product.

3. How and when is money changing hands?
Payment terms can have a major impact on how a deal plays out. Even small differences in language can lead to misunderstandings. Be clear about how much is being paid, on what schedule, and under what conditions. If you’re expecting certain billing triggers, revenue share terms, or performance-based payments, your lawyer needs to know.

4. Where are you comfortable taking risk, and where are you not?
Every deal has trade-offs. Maybe you’re willing to accept a little more risk in one area to get the deal done faster. On the other hand, you may want to be especially cautious about liability, IP rights, or data privacy. Your lawyer can help you think through likely friction points and come up with language that reflects your actual risk tolerance—especially if they’ve negotiated similar deals.

The Bottom Line

There’s nothing wrong with sharing a template, especially if it’s worked well for you before. But don’t invest time customizing it yourself or gathering a stack of sample documents hoping your lawyer can sift through them quickly. That usually takes more time (and budget) than working from a focused conversation about your goals.

So the next time you’re getting ready to send over multiple attachments, consider sending bullet points instead. It’s a small shift that can make a big difference.