Understand the relationship
We map the parties, responsibilities, deliverables, payment, timing, and what each side expects if plans change.
Customized Contract Drafting for California Businesses
Most agreements fail in the same place: a template written for somebody else's deal, signed for yours. Potter Accord starts with how your business works, then puts the real terms into clear writing.
We draft service, vendor, license, distribution, lease, and employment agreements for California businesses and individuals.
Livermore office Remote drafting statewide Plain-English deliverables
The work, clearly scoped
What a Drafting Engagement Covers
A useful agreement starts with decisions, not boilerplate. We get the business terms clear before turning them into clauses.
Set the deal structure
When a deal memo or term sheet will help, we outline the key points first. You can settle open business choices before full drafting.
Make risk visible
We explain indemnity, liability limits, warranties, and termination in plain English, then draft the terms you choose.
Prepare the full document
Your agreement includes defined terms, exhibits, and schedules where needed, arranged into a signature-ready document.
State-specific review
California Considerations Built Into Every Draft
Contract language needs to fit the governing law and the actual deal. California-specific issues get considered before the document is finalized.
We look at how the wording allocates responsibility and whether limits, exclusions, and indemnity duties fit the transaction.
California treats restraints on trade carefully. Any restrictive language needs close attention to its purpose and legal limits.
Choice of law, venue, and dispute-resolution provisions are selected with the parties and California connection in view.
Assignment, notice, and severability language helps clarify how the agreement works when circumstances or individual provisions change.
Four clear stages
The Drafting Process, Step by Step
You see the structure and important choices before the final document is ready. Each stage leaves room to raise questions.
No guesswork.
Intake and relationship map
Complete an intake questionnaire, then talk through who is involved, what each party will do, the money and timing, and how the relationship may end.
Terms and risk summary
Review the proposed structure and key risk choices before full drafting begins. Open business decisions are identified for your input.
First draft with annotations
Receive a first draft with notes that explain key provisions and flag questions that need a business decision or further discussion.
Revision and final walkthrough
We address the agreed revision round, walk through the final terms, and prepare the document with its exhibits and schedules in place.
Built around the people doing the work
Who We Draft For
The right agreement reflects the practical details of your work, your customers, and the risks you actually face.
Founders and early-stage teams
Set out founder roles, equity arrangements, and the company decisions that need to be documented.
Explore founder agreementsService providers and consultants
Clarify client scope, payment dates, ownership of work, approval steps, and what happens when work changes.
Discuss your agreementContractors and trades
Put project scope, change orders, payment milestones, and responsibility for site issues into writing.
Discuss your agreementTechnology companies
Set terms for software licenses, subscriptions, development work, support, and customer data use.
Discuss your agreementClear handoff
What You Receive
The finished agreement should be usable by the people who need to sign it and understand it.
An editable, signature-ready agreement. A plain-English summary of each party's key obligations. A note identifying open items that need a business decision. Defined terms kept consistent throughout the document.
Practical answers
Drafting Questions
A few details depend on the agreement and the parties involved. Here is what to expect.
How long does a typical drafting engagement take?
Timing depends on the agreement's complexity, how quickly the business terms are settled, and how many people need to review the draft. We set a working schedule after learning about the deal.
Can you work from an agreement I already use?
Yes. We can review your current form, identify what no longer fits the way you work, and use the useful parts as a starting point for a revised agreement.
What if the other side insists on using its own agreement?
We can review the other party's draft, explain the important provisions, and advise on proposed changes. For that kind of work, see our contract review service.
Do you draft agreements for individuals as well as businesses?
Yes. We work with individuals when a written agreement is needed for a specific business or commercial relationship. The first conversation helps define the scope.
Start with the deal you have
Put the Agreement in Writing
A well-drafted agreement can make responsibilities, payment, and exit terms easier to understand before a disagreement arises.