Read your contract before you sign it.
BeforeJD reads the whole contract from your side, shows each risk with the words it comes from, and tells you what to ask for. You decide what to sign.
Your first read is free. Then $4.99 a contract. No subscription.
Section 9(c) Effect of breach
… the Company shall have the right to require return of any severance payment made to the Employee.
High risk
Severance you were paid can be taken back after a breach.
Ask that repayment apply only to a material, willful breach left uncured thirty days after written notice.
An employment agreement filed publicly with the SEC, read by BeforeJD. Two of its eight findings are shown.
Read the original on SEC.govEmployment agreement
Section 9(c) Effect of breach
In the event Employee breaches or otherwise fails to comply with the provisions of Section 11 or 12 below, then, … in addition to any other remedies provided herein or at law or in equity, the Company shall have the right to require return of any severance payment made to the Employee.
High risk
Severance you were paid can be taken back after a breach.
Ask that repayment apply only to a material, willful breach left uncured thirty days after written notice.
Section 16(a) Arbitration
… any dispute or controversy arising out of …, relating to, or concerning the interpretation, construction, performance or breach of this Agreement, shall be settled by arbitration … THIS ARBITRATION CLAUSE CONSTITUTES A WAIVER OF EMPLOYEE’S RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL …
Medium risk
You waive your right to a jury trial.
Disputes over this agreement go to arbitration instead of court.
Redline, section 9(c)
As written the Company shall have the right to require return of any severance payment made to the Employee.
Proposed The Company's right to recover any Severance Payment under this Section shall apply only upon a material and willful breach of Section 11 or 12 that remains uncured thirty (30) days after written notice …, and any recovery shall be limited to the portion of the Severance Payment reasonably attributable to the period of breach. This clawback right shall expire two (2) years following termination of employment.
Chapter
Every reason here is one you can check.
Real contracts, a measured benchmark, and a regression gate. Nothing here is asserted without a way to check it.
265 contracts
Every quotation, checked against the contract.
Across 265 public contracts and two full runs, about 95 of every 100 high-severity quotations matched the contract word for word, and none was fabricated. The few that could not be matched are never shown as the contract's words.
- Reads every pagePulls out the parties, the dates and each clause.
- Marks the risksExplains each one in plain English and ties it to a line of the contract.
- Checks the quotationsMatches each quoted line to the contract and never shows words it cannot find as the contract's own.
- Writes what to ask forDrafts the changes and the email that sends them back.
- One verdictGiven only after the work above is complete.
13,000 clauses
Material risks found, measured on a public benchmark.
Tested on a public benchmark of more than 13,000 expert-labeled clauses, it finds about nine in ten material risks. False alarms are measured too. See what we measured.
Nothing ships below the floor.
Every change to how we read a contract is scored on the same locked test set before it reaches you.
Returned on your original.
The redline is a marked-up copy of your contract, with tracked changes, not a summary you have to carry back yourself.
Private by default.
Your contract is never used to train a model. Encrypted in transit and at rest.
The file you upload for a read is deleted seven days after the read, and a backup copy is kept for disaster recovery. The report, and any contract you keep in Contracts, stays until you delete it. Read the retention policy.
What BeforeJD™ does with a contract
- UnderstandEvery clause weighed from your side, in plain English, each risk tied to a line. Ask about any clause, out loud.
- ChangeA marked-up copy of your contract, with tracked changes, and a drafted email to send the changes back.
- DraftA contract draft from a short questionnaire, as Word and PDF. 16 contract types.
- SignTeams and organizations collect signatures on any device, with an audit trail kept on the record.
- Keep trackEvery contract in one place: when it renews or ends, its status, and what needs you.
On the web, on your iPhone and on your Mac. Available in Spanish.
Chapter
See each one at work.
Five things a careful colleague would do with a contract, in minutes, in one place.
Every clause, weighed from your side.
Upload a PDF, a Word file, or a photo. The report opens with a verdict, the money at stake, and the clauses to change. It then walks the whole contract in plain English, with every concern tied to a line on the page. Ask the Contract Assistant about any clause, out loud.
Largely balanced
Residential lease4 clauses to change14 pages read
- High risk
Rent can rise mid-lease, section 4.2
Seven days' notice is all the landlord needs. Ask for sixty, in writing.
- Medium risk
Late fees stack daily with no cap, section 6.1
Ask for a flat fee after a five-day grace period.
- In your favor
Deposit returned within 30 days, section 5.3
Shorter than most leases. Keep it as written.
A marked-up copy of your contract.
We draft the replacement language and return a marked-up copy of your contract, with tracked changes, clause by clause, and write the negotiation email that sends it back. For a scanned copy, the changes are marked on the page.
Redline · tracked changes · clause 12.4
12.4 Either party may terminate this Agreement with five (5) days' notice upon thirty (30) days' written notice, provided that all outstanding fees have been paid.
Negotiation email drafted and ready to send
Subject: Three requested changes before signing
A finished agreement from a short questionnaire.
Answer a few questions and receive a complete Word document and PDF. Every agreement we draft is checked before you receive it. BeforeJD reviews 18 contract types, each with rules of its own, and drafts 16. The drafts run from a non-disclosure agreement to a commercial lease.
Non-disclosure agreement · step 3 of 6
How long should the confidentiality obligation last?
Three years from the date of disclosure
Your document · 7 sections · reviewed before delivery
- DefinitionsDrafted
- Confidentiality obligationsDrafted
- Exclusions from confidentialityDrafted
- Term and terminationChecked
Collect the signatures on the same record.
For teams and organizations. Send the agreed version for signature from the same place it was read. Every signer signs on any device, with no account, and the signed copy and its audit trail stay with the report.
Signatures · Master Services Agreement
- Harbor & Pine Studio LLCSigned
Sep 4, 14:02
- Northwind Supply Co.Signed
Sep 5, 09:41
- WitnessOut for signature
Reminder sent
Sent Sep 4, 2026 · 2 of 3 signed · audit trail kept with the report
Every contract, in one place.
Contracts lists every contract you have read or drafted, with when it renews or ends, its status, and what needs you.
Contracts
| Contract | Verdict | Renews or ends | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential lease | Some terms against you | ends Aug 31, 2027 | Read |
| Employment agreement | Notably one-sided | ends Mar 31, 2028 | Read |
| Vendor agreement | Not read | not set | Reading |
| Master Services Agreement | Largely balanced | renews Jan 1, 2028 | 2 of 3 signed |
| Non-disclosure agreement | Not read | not set | Draft |
A sample Contracts list. Every row is an example.
How it works
- Bring a contractUpload a PDF, a Word file or a photo, or answer a short questionnaire to draft one.
- Every quotation is checkedEach quotation in the report is matched to your contract. Words we cannot find there are never shown as the contract's words.
- Get the reportBeforeJD marks the clauses that may cost you, explains each one in plain English, and writes changes to ask for. Under five minutes for most agreements.
Chapter
One read or one draft, per contract.
Pay once for what you need. Reads and drafts never expire, and a license is a year of access at a fixed price, invoiced once.
Individuals
One read or draft
$4.99
Five reads or drafts $4.00 each
$19.99
Ten reads or drafts $3.50 each
$34.99
Small businesses and teams
Team license Five named seats, a shared workspace, 120 reads a year
$4,900
a year
Business license Fifteen named seats, 500 reads a year, priority support
$14,900
a year
Larger businesses
Enterprise license Seats and volume to fit, MSA, DPA, and SLA on request, purchase order and net-thirty invoicing
Quoted
Government contracting
Program Three named seats, 250 reads a year, inside the federal micro-purchase threshold
$7,500
a year
Agency Ten named seats, a shared workspace, 1,000 reads a year
$12,000
a year
No subscription for individuals, and licenses do not renew on their own. Reads and drafts work on the web, on the iPhone, and on the Mac. Public sector buyers receive a written quote, a W-9, and a public sector terms addendum on request, the same business day.
Chapter
On the web, on your iPhone, on your Mac.
One account and one balance, on every device.
Residential lease
Largely balanced
4 clauses to change
- High risk
Rent can rise mid-lease
- Medium risk
Late fees stack daily
iPhone
Scan the paper copy with the camera, share a file from any app, and get a notification the moment the read is ready. Sign in with Face ID.
- Contracts
- Read a contract
- Draft
- Signatures
- Activity
- Organization
Contracts
Twelve engagements on file.
- Services agreementActive
- Office lease, Suite 400Expiring
- Consulting agreementFor signature
Mac
BeforeJD Desktop on the Mac App Store, with the same reports and redlines in a native window, and signatures for members of an organization.
38 reads left
Contracts
Upload a contract
PDF, Word, or a photo, up to 50 MB.
- Master Services AgreementActive
- Teaming agreement, Prime Corp.Expiring
Web
Everything, from any browser, with a passkey.
Chapter
Questions people ask before they trust us with a contract.
- What is BeforeJD?
- BeforeJD is a contract review service that reads an agreement and returns a plain-English report, a risk verdict, the language to ask for, and a marked-up copy of your contract with tracked changes. It also drafts new agreements, keeps your contracts in one place and answers questions about any clause, and teams and organizations can collect signatures. It is not a law firm.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. BeforeJD is not a law firm. It reads a document and tells you what is in it, what it means for the party signing it, and what to negotiate. For legal matters, consult a qualified attorney.
- What happens to my document?
- The file you upload for a read is deleted seven days after the read, and a backup copy is kept for disaster recovery. The report, and any contract you keep in Contracts, stays until you delete it. Neither is ever used to train a model.
- How long does a read take?
- Under five minutes for most agreements. You receive the report by email, with the marked-up copy attached.
- What can it read?
- BeforeJD reviews 18 contract types, each with rules of its own, and drafts 16. They include leases, employment agreements, freelance and consulting agreements, NDAs, software subscriptions, loans, settlements and severance agreements, and more. PDF, Word, or a photo. For a scanned copy, the changes are marked on the page.
- Can my team share one account?
- Yes. A team license has named seats, a shared workspace, and one allowance of reads for the year. Members join by email invitation.
- Can an agency buy this on a card?
- Yes. Both GovCon licenses sit inside the federal micro-purchase threshold. A written quote, a W-9, and a public sector terms addendum are sent on request the same business day.
BeforeJD is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Our analysis is informational only. For legal matters, please consult a qualified attorney.
Read it before you sign it.
A careful read in plain English: the risks, the language to ask for, your negotiation email, and your contract returned redlined, in minutes.