A finished report has eight parts. They are arranged so that the most important information comes first and every observation is tied back to language that is actually in your contract.
The report opens by naming the kind of agreement, for example "Independent contractor agreement" or "Master services agreement with statement of work", followed by a three to five sentence summary of what you are agreeing to and how balanced the deal is overall. If the text you submitted looks incomplete or does not appear to be a contract, the summary says so plainly.
One of three levels, judged from the freelancer's side:
Treat the level as a way to decide how much attention the contract needs, not as a verdict on whether to sign.
A table of the main commercial and legal terms: payment terms and rates, term and termination, scope and revisions, intellectual property, confidentiality, liability and indemnification, dispute resolution and governing law, non-compete or non-solicitation, expenses, and anything else commercially important. Each entry says what the contract provides in a sentence or two, or Not addressed when the contract is silent. Silence is often the finding: a contract with no late fee, no kill fee and no liability cap has left three protections on the table.
Flags are the heart of the report. They are ordered red first, then yellow, then green, and the report includes at most two green flags so attention stays on the risks.
| Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red flag | Terms that commonly cause serious financial or legal harm to freelancers, or are strongly one-sided. Raise these with your attorney first. |
| Yellow flag | Terms that are unclear, missing or negotiable and deserve clarification. |
| Looks good | Standard or favourable terms, such as a deposit, IP transferring only on payment, or a reasonable liability cap. |
Typical red flags include uncapped indemnification or liability, assignment of your pre-existing tools and templates, broad non-competes, payment that depends on the client's satisfaction, payment terms longer than 45 days, no payment for work done if the client terminates, and mandatory arbitration far from home. Typical yellow flags include vague scope or acceptance criteria, unlimited revisions, a missing deposit or late fee, confidentiality with no time limit, and governing law in another state.
Each flag contains:
The review is instructed to base every flag on language that is actually in the text and never to invent clauses. Check each excerpt against your contract anyway; the report can still misread or miss something.
A list of protections freelancers commonly rely on that this contract does not include, such as a deposit, a kill fee, a late-payment fee, a limitation of liability or a clear acceptance process. These are often the easiest things to ask for because you are adding a clause rather than fighting one.
Specific, prioritised questions to bring to a licensed attorney, referencing the clauses involved. Bringing this list means a paid hour is spent on the points that matter to you rather than on reading the contract from the top.
Practical preparation and negotiation steps: what to ask the client for, what to clarify, and what to gather before an attorney call. They are phrased as suggestions, not advice.
The report cannot tell you whether a clause is enforceable in your state, whether to sign, or how a court would read a particular sentence. It uses careful language such as "often", "typically" and "worth confirming with your attorney" on purpose. Where a point turns on state law, the report flags it, and it tailors those observations to your state if you shared one. For anything with real money on the line, take the report to a lawyer. See Not legal advice.