contract-lifecycle

name	contract-lifecycle
description	Contract lifecycle management skill. Use when the user needs to draft contracts, review agreements, extract obligations, analyze risk, redline documents, or manage contract workflows. Triggers on keywords like "contract", "agreement", "draft", "redline", "clause", "NDA", "MSA", "terms", "obligations", "contract review", "playbook".

Contract Lifecycle Management

This skill provides expert guidance for all phases of contract management from drafting through execution and renewal.

Core Capabilities

1. Contract Drafting

• Template selection and customization
• Clause library management
• Version control best practices
• Collaborative drafting workflows

2. Contract Review & Redlining

• Risk identification
• Deviation from standard analysis
• Redline generation
• Negotiation strategy

3. Obligation Extraction

• Key date identification
• Performance obligations
• Payment terms
• Termination triggers

4. Risk Scoring

• Clause-by-clause risk analysis
• Industry-standard benchmarking
• Deviation flagging
• Severity classification

Contract Types

Commercial Agreements

Type	Key Provisions	Risk Areas
NDA/Confidentiality	Definition, term, exceptions	Carve-outs, remedies
MSA	Scope, SLAs, liability	Indemnity, IP
SaaS/License	Subscription, data, termination	Auto-renewal, data portability
Services	SOW, deliverables, acceptance	Change orders, warranties
Supply/Purchase	Quantity, price, delivery	Force majeure, warranties

Corporate Agreements

Type	Key Provisions	Risk Areas
Shareholder	Governance, transfer, exit	Drag-along, anti-dilution
Employment	Compensation, termination, IP	Non-compete, severance
Partnership	Contributions, distributions	Fiduciary, dissolution
Joint Venture	Structure, management, exit	Deadlock, IP ownership

Review Framework

Systematic Review Process

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. Initial Scan                                 │
│     - Parties and effective date                 │
│     - Term and termination                       │
│     - Governing law and jurisdiction             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  2. Risk Assessment                              │
│     - Indemnification scope                      │
│     - Liability caps and exclusions              │
│     - IP ownership and licenses                  │
│     - Data protection obligations                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  3. Obligation Mapping                           │
│     - Performance requirements                   │
│     - Payment milestones                         │
│     - Reporting duties                           │
│     - Renewal/termination dates                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  4. Negotiation Priorities                       │
│     - Must-have changes                          │
│     - Nice-to-have improvements                  │
│     - Acceptable as-is provisions                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Clause Analysis

Indemnification

Standard Elements:

• Scope of covered claims
• Notice requirements
• Control of defense
• Limitation tie-in

Risk Factors:

• Unlimited indemnity
• IP infringement without knowledge qualifier
• Third-party claims beyond customer's control
• No mutual indemnification

Limitation of Liability

Standard Structure:

Exclusion of consequential damages
Cap on direct damages (typically 12 months fees)
Carve-outs (indemnity, IP, confidentiality, gross negligence)

Risk Factors:

• No cap on liability
• Asymmetric caps (higher exposure for one party)
• Broad carve-outs that swallow the cap
• No exclusion of consequential damages

Intellectual Property

Key Issues:

• Pre-existing IP ownership
• Work product ownership
• License grants (scope, exclusivity, term)
• Background vs. foreground IP

Termination

Review Points:

• Termination for convenience (notice period)
• Termination for cause (cure period)
• Effect of termination (survival, wind-down)
• Return/destruction of materials

Risk Scoring Matrix

Risk Level	Score	Action
Critical	5	Must negotiate, escalate
High	4	Strongly recommend change
Medium	3	Request change
Low	2	Flag for awareness
Acceptable	1	No action needed

Scoring Criteria

• Financial exposure: Potential monetary impact
• Legal risk: Compliance, enforceability concerns
• Operational impact: Business disruption potential
• Reputational risk: Brand/relationship implications

Playbook Integration

Fallback Positions

For each risky clause, maintain:

1. Preferred position: Standard language
2. Acceptable fallback: Compromise language
3. Walk-away point: Non-negotiable threshold

Approval Matrix

Change Type	Approval Required
Standard terms	Self-approve
Minor deviations	Legal lead
Material deviations	General counsel
Deal-specific terms	Business + Legal

Best Practices

Drafting

• Start from approved templates
• Use defined terms consistently
• Include version control headers
• Maintain clause library with alternatives

Review

• Use systematic checklist approach
• Compare against playbook positions
• Document all redlines with rationale
• Track negotiation history

Execution

• Verify signature authority
• Confirm all exhibits attached
• Record effective dates
• Establish obligation tracking

Integration with Other Skills

• corporate-ma: Transaction documents
• due-diligence: Contract review in M&A
• compliance-tracking: Regulatory requirements in contracts
• e-discovery: Contract-related disputes

Reference Files

For detailed clause libraries and templates:

• references/clause-library.md - Standard clause alternatives
• references/risk-matrix.md - Detailed risk scoring guide
• references/playbook-template.md - Contract playbook format