Not Legal Advice

Freelancer Shield is not a law firm, no attorney-client relationship is created by using it, and nothing in a report or a chat answer is legal advice. Every review carries this disclosure, and you confirm you understand it each time you submit a contract.

What the review is

An AI-assisted reading of your contract that helps you:

• understand, in plain English, what you are being asked to agree to,
• see which clauses commonly cause problems for freelancers and why,
• know what to ask the client to change, with the language to do it,
• arrive at a conversation with a licensed attorney already knowing which questions to ask.

It is written from the freelancer's point of view under general US commercial practice for independent contractors. It flags where state law commonly matters and tailors those notes to your state if you shared it.

What the review is not

• It is not a determination that a clause is enforceable or unenforceable. Enforceability turns on state law, the facts and often on a court. The review uses words like "often", "typically" and "may" deliberately.
• It is not a recommendation to sign or not to sign. That is your decision, ideally made with an attorney for anything significant.
• It is not a substitute for reading the contract. The report quotes clauses so you can find and read them yourself.
• It is not infallible. AI models can misread a clause, miss one, or overstate a risk. Treat the report as a well-prepared first pass, not a final word.

Using the report with an attorney

The most valuable thing a report gives you is a shorter, sharper attorney conversation. Before the call:

1. Read the summary and the red flags.
2. Print or copy the Questions for your attorney list.
3. Note which suggested asks you have already sent to the client and how they responded.
4. Bring the original contract, not only the report.

An attorney billing by the hour can then spend that hour on the two or three clauses that carry real risk rather than on reading the agreement from page one.

When to involve an attorney

Always, when the money or the exposure is significant to you. In particular: contracts with indemnification or liability clauses that are uncapped, assignments of intellectual property that reach your existing work, non-competes or exclusivity, personal guarantees, anything involving equity, and anything you do not understand after reading the report. Many freelancers keep a relationship with a local attorney for exactly these moments; a contract review makes each of those visits cheaper.

Reporting a problem with a report

If a flag misquotes the contract, points at the wrong clause, or reads to you as advice rather than preparation, tell us with the review title and the flag. We use these reports to improve the review.