Contract review

I review commercial contracts for UK businesses for a fixed fee of £495, returning your document marked up with my amendments, an explanation of the changes and a call, within three working days. I am Geoffrey Caesar, a solicitor of England and Wales admitted in 2008, working on commercial contracts since 2001. I act for businesses across England and Wales.

The document is almost certainly drafted by the other side, in their favour, and you are being asked to sign it by Friday. You can read it yourself and hope, sign it and find out later, or spend £495 finding out exactly what you are agreeing to.

The clauses that cause trouble are rarely the ones people spot. Liability caps that do not cap the thing you are worried about. Termination rights that only run one way. Indemnities that survive the contract. An IP clause that quietly assigns your work product to your customer.

What it costs

Standard review, £495. Marked-up document and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Complex review, £895. Heavily negotiated or unusually complex documents. Five working days.

NDA review or drafting, £495. Three working days.

Priority turnaround, £395. Add it to any service when you email me. I deliver by the end of the next working day for a review, or within two working days for a drafted document, counted from the later of payment and my receiving everything I need. If I cannot meet it, I tell you as soon as I know and refund the priority fee. How priority turnaround works

Review of a contract you drafted with AI, £495. The same service, for a document you produced yourself with an AI tool. Three working days. Details here.

If you are unsure which review you need, send me the document and I will tell you before you pay anything.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• Your own contract returned with my amendments as tracked changes, plus a clean version with every change accepted, ready to send to the other side
• Comments in the document where a point needs explaining
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, marking the points I would hold firm on and the ones that are negotiable
• A view on what is normal market practice and what is the other side pushing their luck
• One round of follow-up questions by email, included

What is not included

• Negotiating directly with the other side, which I quote separately once I know who is on the other side. Where the other side is willing to share a live document, I can work in that document directly
• Drafting a replacement contract from scratch
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Advice on a dispute about a contract that is already signed, which I quote separately

How long it takes

Three working days from payment for a standard review or an NDA, and five for a complex review. If you need it sooner, add priority turnaround for £395 and I deliver by the end of the next working day.

How to instruct me

1. Email me. Send me what you need, with any documents, in whatever format you have them.
2. I confirm the scope and the fee. Usually the same working day, in writing. If a call would help before you decide, I will offer one at no charge. Once you confirm, I complete my checks and send my invoice.
3. I start work as soon as payment is received. I will be in touch if I need anything further, and I deliver on the stated turnaround, counted from the day I have everything I need.

Why instruct me directly

You deal with one senior lawyer from first email to final document. The work is done personally, the contact is direct, and the price is published before you ever get in touch.

• Senior attention as standard. I handle your matter throughout. Nothing is delegated to a trainee.
• In-house and private practice experience. I know what a clause does to a business six months later, not just what it says.
• Onboarding that takes one email. Email me, send the documents, get the work. There is no client portal to register with; the checks I need to run happen quickly in the background.
• Stated turnarounds, met. Most work is delivered in three to five working days, stated up front, and priority turnaround is there when the clock is against you.
• Fixed prices, published. You know the number before you commit. I publish them because cost uncertainty is the main reason businesses do not take advice they need.

Who this is for

• You are signing something that matters to the business
• The other side is larger than you and sent their own paper
• You want a decision and a recommendation, not a lecture on contract law
• You have a deadline and need a date you can rely on

Questions I am often asked

How much does a contract review cost?

£495 for a standard review, delivered in three working days. You get the document back marked up in tracked changes, a clean version with the changes accepted, and a written explanation of the changes. Heavily negotiated or unusually complex documents are £895, in five working days. Priority turnaround, by the end of the next working day, is an extra £395 on any review. An NDA is reviewed or drafted for the same £495. A contract you drafted yourself with AI is reviewed the same way, for the same £495.

The price is fixed in writing before work starts.

Which review does my contract need?

Send it to me and I will tell you before you commit to anything. Most contracts need the standard review. The complex review is for a document that has been heavily negotiated or has a lot of bespoke drafting. If you need either back quickly, add priority turnaround.

Why are you more expensive than a £150 online review?

Because it is a different thing. A £150 review is usually a checklist run over the document by a junior fee earner or a template engine. What you get here is a solicitor of eighteen years standing reading your contract in the context of your business and handing it back with the changes made, ready to send.

Can you negotiate with the other side for me?

Yes, quoted separately once I have seen the document. Many clients find they do not need it. Armed with a mark-up that shows exactly what to ask for, and an explanation of why, most people get most of it themselves, and it lands better coming from the business than from its lawyer.

What if the review says the contract is fine?

Then you sign it with confidence, which is worth the fee on its own. It happens reasonably often, and you get that answer in three working days rather than a mark-up full of manufactured changes to justify the invoice.

What if questions come up afterwards?

They usually do. The other side comes back with comments, or something happens later that the contract has to deal with. If it is a point on the document I have just delivered, ask, and I will tell you whether it falls within the fee. For anything new, email me and I will tell you which fixed-fee service fits, or quote a fixed fee if none does.

About me

I am Geoffrey Caesar. I have worked on commercial contracts since 2001, first in industry and then in private practice, so I have sat on both sides of the table: as the in-house lawyer who has to live with the contract, and as the external adviser who drafts it.

• Solicitor of England and Wales, admitted 2008. SRA ID 483394.
• Practising as an SRA-regulated freelance solicitor under regulation 10.2(b) of the SRA Authorisation of Individuals Regulations. Practice SRA number 666497.
• Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and authorised to provide all legal services, including reserved legal activities.
• Called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 2005.
• Working on commercial contracts since 2001, in-house and in private practice.
• Acting for businesses across England and Wales.
• Professional indemnity insurance in place with a limit of £1,000,000 for each claim, with defence costs in addition. Details on request.
• I do not hold client money.

Two things you should know about instructing a freelance solicitor rather than a law firm. My professional indemnity insurance is not on the SRA's minimum terms and conditions; alternative arrangements are in place instead, and I will give you the details on request. And you can still apply to the SRA Compensation Fund for losses caused by dishonesty or a failure to account for money. Everything else, including the Code of Conduct, the SRA Principles and the Legal Ombudsman, applies to me exactly as it applies to any other solicitor.

Related services

• Review of an AI-drafted contract, £495
• Your own customer or supplier terms, £995
• SaaS and technology contracts, £995

Last reviewed: October 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.