Have It Reviewed Before You Sign It
Nearly every important step in life and business runs through a contract: a job offer with a non-compete, a construction bid for your home, a commercial lease, a supplier agreement, a severance package, a purchase agreement for a business. Most people sign them unread or half-understood — and discover what the fine print meant only when something goes wrong. I review, draft, and negotiate contracts for individuals, families, farmers, and small businesses across Ohio.
Contracts I Regularly Handle
- Employment agreements — offers, non-competes, non-solicitation clauses, and severance packages
- Construction and home-improvement contracts — for homeowners hiring contractors and contractors protecting their work
- Commercial and residential leases — for landlords and tenants
- Purchase agreements — businesses, equipment, vehicles, and real estate
- Service and vendor agreements — the day-to-day contracts a small business runs on
- Farm agreements — cash rents, crop shares, equipment sharing, and land contracts
- Releases and settlements — understanding exactly what rights you’re giving up before you sign
What a Review Actually Catches
A contract review is not proofreading. I read an agreement the way opposing counsel will read it in a dispute, looking for:
- One-sided risk — indemnification, personal guarantees, and limitation-of-liability clauses that quietly shift every risk onto you
- Exit problems — automatic renewals, termination penalties, and non-competes that outlive the deal
- Missing protections — the deadlines, warranties, and remedies the drafter conveniently left out
- Ambiguity — vague terms that read fine today and become the center of a lawsuit later
- Ohio-specific issues — statute of frauds requirements, enforceability limits, and consumer protections that affect what the contract can actually do
You get the findings in plain English: what the contract says, what it means for you, and what to push back on — with proposed redlines if you want to negotiate.
Drafting: Contracts Built for Your Deal
When you’re the one papering the deal, I draft agreements that fit — clear enough that both sides understand their obligations, thorough enough to hold up if the relationship sours. For businesses I work with through my formation practice, that often means a reusable set of customer and vendor agreements sized to the company.
When a Contract Is Already Broken
If the other side hasn’t performed — or claims you haven’t — I move from reviewer to advocate: demand letters, negotiation, and, when necessary, litigation in the appropriate Ohio court. Ohio generally allows six years to sue on a written contract, but your practical leverage is greatest early, while records are fresh and remedies are still available.
An Hour Now or a Lawsuit Later
The least expensive time to involve a lawyer in a contract is before anyone signs. Send the agreement over before your deadline, contact the office, and get a straight answer on what you’re really agreeing to.