Contract Drafting and Negotiation for Entrepreneurs and Business Professionals

This book is exactly as promised - both in terms of content and style. It provides an amazingly clear, concise, and complete discussion of not only contract drafting, but also problem solving, the negotiation of business deals, and even great advice for when deals start going bad. And if that was not enough, it is written in a friendly and clever style that makes it as enjoyable to read as it is informative. I am a 25+ year practicing attorney and I am amazed at how the author was able to take technical concepts law students spend an entire year learning, and distill them into a completely understandable discussion that could be read cover to cover in a couple of sittings - it is that easy of a read. Even as someone who *is* an old hand at reviewing and litigating contracts, I found many great pieces of advice and thoughts which, even if on a topic I already knew, gave me a better insight. I highly recommend this book to not only entrepreneurs and business professionals as the author sub-titles the book, but as an attorney I would highly recommend this to my clients in contract disputes so they can better understand what is going on.

Although the book is titled "Contract Drafting and Negotiation for Entrepreneurs and Business Professionals" -- for me, a practicing attorney for 24 years, I consider it a fantastic reference guide for for legal and business practitioners from all areas of the business to learn about and watch out for. Ideally, once contract is negotiated and the business relationship begins -- the contract itself is stuffed in a drawer (electronic or physical) and never looked at again until and unless the business parties have a problem with each other. So getting the contract done right --before being stuffed in that drawer-- is obviously critical. This book is a common sense guide for complex, challenging transactional issues. Somehow, the author has successfully synthesized very challenging subject matter into 130ish pages; a doable read for anyone. Smart C-levels will make this a must-read for anyone in their company who will partake in business relationships that involve contracting (i.e., basically, every single one). What's also great about this book is that it doesn't just cover basic contracts and licensing, but also professional services, service level agreements, intellectual property, and other legal quagmires like contract termination, warranties, limitations of liability and damages. I highly recommend this book and would not be surprised if savvy law professors utilize it in their courses, as it provides practical solutions for legal and business professionals at all levels.

Paul Swegle writes with the voice of experience. A longtime corporate attorney, he has much to share on the subject of negotiating, drafting, implementing, and working with contracts--and he does it in plain language, accessible to non-lawyer businesspeople. This easy-to-read and easy-to-use little book is the only desktop handbook to contracts you'll ever need. It's a delightful and insightful read, handy for looking up a specific topic or for just spending an hour introducing yourself to the language and world of contracts. This should be on every businessperson's desk, from top executive to beginning entrepreneur.

...and most certainly not a good one. So by all means consider yourself better informed for having bought and read this book, then think about what you want and need from the contract negotiations as well as (perhaps most important) your limitations concerning implementation, performance and delivery, then get the lawyer(s) directly involved. You may learn, as I have, that they have a healthy respect for clients who have thought things through or at least have made the sincere effort and preferably before the negotiations begin if not the drying of the ink (so to speak) on the contract signature block. As for the book proper, I find it succinct though in some places quite abrupt and almost perfunctory in its treatment of certain substantive topics. In fairness that's what the author may have aimed for.

First, this book is very helpful for thinking through contacting, whether you are an attorney or a non-attorney. Second, it’s easy to read and it’s easy to find what you’re looking for when using it as a quick reference guide. Third, where else can you get this info at such a reasonable price? I highly recommend this for anyone looking to build or refresh their contracting prowess.

This book not only provides an overview of negotiation tips, it also provides a clause-by-clause review of how to draft and negotiate contractual terms. It is helpful for not only lawyers, but also business professionals who might need to kick off a deal without a lawyer. I love how clear this book is and how simple this book is to understand what otherwise would be complex concepts. Thank you so much for writing this book, Paul!

This book is a gold mine of information for business development and management professionals, entrepreneurs, lawyers and more. I was privileged to work for several years at a company where Paul Swegle served as Chief Legal Counsel. My group negotiated multi-million-dollar contracts with business partners, and Paul was a critical member of the team that reviewed, improved and approved each and every contract we executed. His deep knowledge of business and contract law gained over years of experience, as well as his incisive thinking and insights, were a major advantage to our side as we negotiated with other companies, from small start-ups to Fortune 50 and 100 companies. With this book, Paul shares his deep knowledge, experience and thinking with you to give your business that same advantage. I highly recommend it!

My perspective: I am an engineering intern with a BS in mechanical engineering and 5 years of work experience. I am pursuing a professional engineering license and I have a goal to start my own business in the next several years. I constantly feel the influence of contracts, such as those between my employer and its clients, my employer and its vendors, and especially my employer and me. Oftentimes, I feel as though I am playing a game without an understanding of the rules, but I am striving to change that. Assessment: The book's content is accessible, but not so accessible as to seem unauthoritative. It was just concise enough to read from cover-to-cover, albeit not in one sitting and not without several cups of coffee. It's list-like organization should make it a nice reference and its examples were pragmatic enough to offer an understanding of the subject. Critique: I wish the author devoted a section that referred the reader to related topics. In particular, I would have liked his suggestions about other works, if not his own, that explore the implications of contract law for employees and aspiring professionals, not just entrepreneurs and business professionals. Aside: Without having first listened to "Business Law: Contracts" by Frank Cross, I would not have had sufficient context to understand much of this information. I recommend it to anyone looking for an introduction to this subject.

As someone who has no formal law training but who is often negotiating contracts for a business start-up I was looking for a formal text to fill in the gaps and correct the mistaken assumptions I was working under. This book is perfect for anyone who wants simple, effective explanations of the key terms in a contract and, most importantly, how to negotiate around those.

To the point

Not bad, well written, and good for non-law professionals for when dealing with Contracts in general. However like me, if you've studied Contract Law, Company law and Civil Litigation, this really wont be of any use to you! Also this is not tailored to English Law.