Contract review
A customer has sent you their terms
We review the agreement before you sign, flag the clauses that shift risk onto you and negotiate the changes that matter, so you know exactly what you are agreeing to.
Commercial contract drafting & review
Our commercial contract solicitors draft and review a wide range of contracts tailored to your business, ensuring clear, enforceable terms that strengthen and protect business relationships.
No obligation call
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
Included in our subscription plans
what we handle
The contract issues we handle most often
Most contract problems don’t start in a dispute. They start with a template pulled off the internet, a customer’s paper signed in a hurry, or terms nobody has read since the business changed. These are the ones we see most weeks at Lawyerly.
Contract drafting
You need your own set of terms
We draft the contracts your business runs on, from terms of business and supplier agreements to NDAs, SaaS and consultancy agreements, written for how you actually trade.
Breach of contract
A contract is not being honoured
We read what was signed, tell you where you stand and put your position to the other side, so a late payment or a missed deadline is dealt with before it becomes a dispute.
commercial contract solutions
How we help you get contracts right
Contracts are not a one-off job. Every new customer, supplier, hire and product changes what you need on paper. We build a set of agreements that fits the way your business trades, then keep them current as you grow.
When a contract is tested, whether that is a customer pushing back on terms, a supplier falling short or a deal that needs closing quickly, you already have a solicitor who knows your business and can turn it round fast.
No obligation call
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
1
Contract review and risk report
We review the agreements you are asked to sign, set out the risks in plain English and tell you which clauses to accept, push back on or walk away from.
2
Drafting your core agreements
Terms of business, customer and supplier contracts, NDAs, consultancy and service agreements, each one customised to your requirements, your operational priorities and the flexibility you need as your business grows.
3
Negotiation and ongoing contract support
We negotiate terms on your behalf, help you resolve breaches efficiently while protecting ongoing relationships, and keep your signed contracts securely in your Client Hub for quick access whenever you need them.
Why work with us
Finally, legal support that keeps up
With Lawyerly, it stops being a worry, and becomes an advantage.
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Senior expertise
We pair you with one of our qualified solicitors whose expertise and experience fits your business.
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On-demand legal support
Work with your legal professional through our online Client Hub. Wherever you are, whenever you need us.
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Predictable fees
Pay a monthly subscription or a fixed fee for one-off work. The price is always agreed before we start.
Meet our commercial solicitors
Big-firm expertise in your corner
Our commercial solicitors have worked at top-tier law firms and global legal departments, the kind of senior legal team most SMEs can't justify building in-house.
Patricia Tinn
Legal Service Director
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Patricia Tinn
Legal Service Director
SRA No. 634623
Patricia is a corporate and commercial solicitor whose practice centres on mergers and acquisitions, early-stage investment rounds (particularly angel and pre-seed), and the commercial agreements that underpin high-growth businesses. Trained at DLA Piper and seasoned through a range of in-house counsel roles, she has advised FTSE100 corporations, public bodies, and high-profile individuals.
As Senior Solicitor and Legal Services Director at Lawyerly, Patricia leads service delivery for a client base weighted toward tech and AI. She guides founders and investors through funding rounds, structures strategic acquisitions, and negotiates the subscription agreements, technology licences, and partnership arrangements that scale-ups depend on. Her fluency in data privacy, IP, and regulatory matters means she can drive the full range of workstreams that tech deals demand, keeping transactions moving and valuations protected.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC MSc in Law, Business and Management
James Conning
Commercial Solicitor
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James Conning
Commercial Solicitor
SRA No. 576972
James is a commercial and corporate solicitor whose practice centres on commercial contracts, technology and intellectual property, and disputes, sharpened by a keen commercial sense for how the law plays out in business reality. He has practised at Pinsent Masons, EY Law, and across a range of in-house roles, leading on SaaS and software licensing negotiations, M&A due diligence, and commercial litigation alongside international stakeholders on high-value, complex matters.
As Commercial Solicitor at Lawyerly, James brings that range to SMEs that need serious commercial advice without the complexity of a traditional firm relationship. He negotiates and manages contracts, advises on technology and IP, and helps clients pre-empt the disputes that derail growth. His particular fluency in contract management and technology law means he can tighten commercial frameworks and reduce legal risk as businesses scale.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC (Commendation)
Ashrelle Parker-Belgrave
Commercial Solicitor
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Ashrelle Parker-Belgrave
Commercial Solicitor
SRA No. 839517
Ashrelle is a commercial solicitor who built her practice at Browne Jacobson LLP, a leading UK national law firm, advising private and public sector clients on contracts, IP, and procurement. Her experience extends into real estate, clinical negligence, employment, and government infrastructure, giving her a breadth few solicitors at her level can offer.
As Commercial Solicitor at Lawyerly, Ashrelle focuses on practical commercial advice for growing businesses, building the long-term client relationships that turn legal counsel into trusted partnership. She is as comfortable reviewing a software agreement as steering a complex procurement, and her employment expertise lets her advise on the people-side issues that sit alongside the commercial ones, keeping clients covered across the full picture of their business as it scales.
Qualifications
LLB (Hons); LPC LLM
Dr Jackie Nagtegaal
Co-Founder & Director
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Dr Jackie Nagtegaal
Co-Founder & Director
Jackie has spent twenty years working on how legal services reach the people and businesses that need them. Before co-founding Lawyerly she built and led one of Africa's largest alternative legal organisations, growing it to more than 500 people serving 100,000 clients, and her work there was recognised in legal services, technology, innovation and dispute resolution. She holds a PhD, awarded with distinction, and has been named among the top five women in legal technology.
At Lawyerly she is responsible for the firm's strategic direction. Her starting point has not changed in two decades: the law should work for the people who use it, rather than the other way round. That view shapes how Lawyerly is run, from how services are priced to how matters are staffed.
Qualifications
LLB; MPhil (Cum Laude); PhD (Top Achiever Award); Key Regulatory Compliance Certifications
Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
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Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
Willem co-founded Lawyerly after twenty years of running and advising businesses, most of which were spent as a client of law firms rather than a member of one. He had seen how legal advice tends to arrive: late, priced by the hour, and detached from the commercial decision that prompted it. Lawyerly grew out of a conviction that it could be done differently.
He read law and marketing at university and later completed MIT Sloan's executive programme in artificial intelligence and business strategy. His career before Lawyerly took in two advertising agencies, which he led through the industry's move to digital, several years in digital publishing, and a period in international development, working on programmes across South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
At Lawyerly he is responsible for growth and for the client experience, ensuring our clients receive the legal support they need.
Qualifications
BA Law; AI Business Strategy (MIT); Nomadic Marketing (UCT)
Jan Nagtegaal
Director
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Jan Nagtegaal
Director
Jan began his career in law before broadening into corporate strategy and technology. He holds a Master's in Corporate Law and an MBA, and later completed a Master's in Applied Data Science, driven by a conviction that the legal profession could do far more with the data it generates. That combination of legal, commercial, and analytical training has shaped a career spent rethinking how legal services are designed and delivered, with a particular focus on projects that use data and digital tools to improve legal processes.
As Director at Lawyerly, Jan brings data analytics, financial management, and strategy to the firm. His blend of legal grounding, commercial instinct, and technical fluency means Lawyerly's growth is guided by someone who understands the practice as deeply as the business behind it.
Qualifications
LLB; LLM; MBA; MSc
Knowledge hub
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions we hear most often, on how the subscription works, what it covers and how we charge.
Drafting and reviewing the agreements a growing business relies on: terms of business, customer and supplier contracts, NDAs, consultancy and service agreements, SaaS and software agreements, distribution and agency arrangements, and the data processing terms that sit alongside them. We also negotiate with the other side, advise you when a contract is breached, and keep your signed agreements in your Client Hub. Subscribers get ongoing support as new customers, suppliers and products come along, which is where most contract gaps open up.
Contract drafting and review is included in our subscription plans. If you are not a subscriber, we work on a fixed fee agreed before we start, so there is no hourly-rate surprise from us. The fee depends on the length and complexity of the document. A short NDA costs far less than a bespoke SaaS agreement, and we will tell you the figure up front.
You can, but a template does not know your business. It will not reflect how you get paid, what you are promising to deliver, who owns what you create or what happens when things change. The clauses that cause the most trouble, on liability, termination and intellectual property, are exactly the ones a generic template gets wrong. We often start from a well-drafted precedent and then tailor it, which keeps the cost down without leaving gaps.
A review of a standard agreement usually comes back within a few working days, and a first draft of a new contract within a week, depending on complexity. If a deal is moving quickly, tell us the deadline and we will work to it. Subscribers can raise a request through the Client Hub and follow its progress as we go.
Yes. Once we have reviewed the agreement we mark up the changes, explain the reasoning and deal directly with the other party or their lawyers until the terms are agreed. Most negotiations settle in one or two rounds once each side can see what actually matters to the other.
Send us the contract and the facts. We will tell you where you stand, what the agreement entitles you to and the options open to you. In most cases a well-judged letter that sets out the breach and what you need resolves matters. If it does not, we negotiate a settlement directly with the other side and tell you the likely cost at each step before you spend it.
Related services
Other ways we can help
A contract question rarely arrives alone. These are the services our contract clients use most.
Employment and HR support
The decisions behind hiring, managing and parting with people, handled by employment solicitors who know how SMEs run.
ExploreRegulatory and compliance guidance
Sector rules, anti-bribery, modern slavery and cybersecurity: the compliance every growing business has to keep on top of.
ExploreIntellectual property and trade mark protection
Trade mark searches and applications, IP assignments from contractors and staff, licensing deals, and letters protecting your brand.
Explorecontact us
Talk to us about your business legal needs
Learn how our services can benefit you by scheduling a call with one of our team members.
No obligation call
Book a complimentary consultation
A short call with one of our founders about your business and your legal priorities. We reply within one business day.
Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
Read profile
Willem van der Merwe
Co-Founder
Willem co-founded Lawyerly after twenty years of running and advising businesses, most of which were spent as a client of law firms rather than a member of one. He had seen how legal advice tends to arrive: late, priced by the hour, and detached from the commercial decision that prompted it. Lawyerly grew out of a conviction that it could be done differently.
He read law and marketing at university and later completed MIT Sloan's executive programme in artificial intelligence and business strategy. His career before Lawyerly took in two advertising agencies, which he led through the industry's move to digital, several years in digital publishing, and a period in international development, working on programmes across South East Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
At Lawyerly he is responsible for growth and for the client experience, ensuring our clients receive the legal support they need.
Qualifications
BA Law; AI Business Strategy (MIT); Nomadic Marketing (UCT)