confidentiality-agreement

name	confidentiality-agreement
title	Confidentiality Agreement (NDA)
description	Drafts corporate NDAs and confidentiality agreements for M&A, due diligence, partnerships, JVs, and licensing negotiations. Handles mutual vs. unilateral structuring, CI definitions and exclusions, compelled-disclosure procedures, standstill and non-solicit provisions, return/destroy obligations, and equitable relief. Use when initiating any pre-deal evaluation or sensitive business discussion requiring enforceable confidentiality protections.
author	CaseMark
author_url	https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/confidentiality-agreement
license	Apache-2.0
version	0.1.0
execution_mode	open
jurisdiction	us
practice	contracts
language	en

Confidentiality Agreement (NDA)

Drafts enforceable corporate NDAs calibrated for mutual or unilateral disclosure in M&A, partnerships, or due diligence contexts.

Prerequisites

Gather before drafting:

1. Parties — exact legal names, entity types, states of formation, principal addresses
2. Structure — mutual (bidirectional) or unilateral (one-way)
3. Transaction purpose — asset purchase, stock purchase, merger, JV, licensing, partnership exploration
4. Parameters — CI protection period, standstill period, non-solicit period, governing law/venue
5. Public company flag — if either party is publicly traded (triggers Reg FD / MNPI considerations)

Quick Start

1. Identify mutual vs. unilateral structure
2. Draft header with party details and effective date
3. Define CI scope and standard exclusions
4. Set core obligations (use restriction, care standard, non-disclosure)
5. Add protective provisions as needed (standstill, non-solicit)
6. Include term, return/destroy, remedies, and general provisions
7. Validate against the pitfalls checklist below

Core Drafting Workflow

1. Header and Purpose

• Title reflects directionality ("Mutual Confidentiality Agreement" or "Non-Disclosure Agreement")
• Effective date, full party identification (legal name, entity type, formation state, address)
• Purpose statement describing the specific transaction being evaluated
• Include: no obligation to proceed; no binding commitment absent separate definitive agreement

2. Confidential Information Definition

Covered categories: financial data, strategic plans, technical IP, personnel information, customer/supplier lists, oral disclosures, and the fact/existence of discussions themselves.

Standard exclusions (with evidence requirements):

Exclusion	Evidence
Public domain at disclosure	None
Becomes public without breach	None
Already possessed pre-disclosure	Pre-existing written records
Independently developed	Contemporaneous written records
Received from unrestricted third party	Written documentation

3. Core Obligations