Stay Safe · Before You Sign
The four questions that apply to every document you are ever asked to sign, and the point at which you should stop and get professional advice.
The moment: A document is in front of you and someone is waiting
None of these is proof of bad faith on its own. Two or three together is a reason to slow down.
Plain questions, asked before you commit. A straight answer costs nothing to give.
When to speak to a lawyer
More from Before You Sign
You are about to commit to a home and a year of rent
Renting is covered by your state's law and by the agreement itself. The agreement decides most of what happens — and you sign it when you have the least bargaining power.
An offer letter has arrived and you want to accept
The offer letter and the contract behind it decide your pay, notice, restrictions and what happens if the job ends. Everything is easier to negotiate before you accept.
A partnership is forming on trust and a handshake
Business partners rarely fall out over how things started. They fall out over what nobody wrote down: who put in what, who decides, how someone leaves, and who keeps the customers.
