Most attorneys prepare for contract negotiations by reading the draft, marking up what they don't like, and building a redline. That's not preparation. That's reacting.
The attorneys who consistently get better outcomes do something different before they ever touch a redline. They figure out where the deal is most likely to go wrong, test whether the remedies actually work if it does, and walk in with fallback positions already drafted. The difference between a prepared negotiator and a reactive one isn't talent or experience. It's the work they do before the call starts.
In this webinar, Laura Frederick, Hebe Doneski, and Adrienne Valencia Garcia will walk through specific preparation strategies that change how you show up to a negotiation. The speakers will cover how to separate the provisions that create real legal exposure from those that matter only if you're willing to enforce them, how to map a contract to the ways the deal actually fails rather than working clause by clause, and how to pressure-test your remedies before you rely on them. They'll also discuss how to think through the deal across its full lifecycle, not just at signing, and why pre-drafting your fallback language gives you a significant advantage at the table.
Key topics include:
Separating legal risk from enforcement risk, and why that distinction changes your priorities
Mapping a contract to the deal's most likely failure modes instead of reviewing clause by clause
Pressure-testing whether your remedies actually work when the obligation is breached
Modeling the deal across its full lifecycle, from performance through termination and post-termination
Pre-drafting fallback language so you're proposing alternatives, not just objecting
*Live CLE Credit Information:
How to Contract will apply for 1.25 hours of General CLE credit in CA, PA, and TX.
We will provide details to attendees on how to request a certificate of attendance. These certificates are provided after an attendee submits a completed credit request form (including the CLE code words shared live) within 14 days of the live webinar. Late submissions are not accepted.
Lawyers in these other jurisdictions who attend live may be eligible for credit through reciprocity, self-application, or reporting: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, CO, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, IL, KY, LA, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, MD, ME, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, and WY. These programs may also be eligible for Canadian CPD credit in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec.
We do not determine individual eligibility. Please check your state bar for specific compliance rules.