A contract review is exactly what it sounds like: before you sign, an attorney reads the whole document and tells you in plain language what it actually obligates you to do, where the risk sits, and what you should ask to change. In El Paso, residents bring us residential and commercial leases, home remodeling and construction contracts, solar panel and home-improvement financing agreements, employment offers and non-competes, franchise and distributor agreements, gym and timeshare contracts, and purchase agreements for vehicles, equipment and small businesses. The stakes are often thousands of dollars or years of obligation, and the review costs a small fraction of that.
Texas is a freedom-of-contract state, which means courts generally enforce what you signed even if it was one-sided, buried in fine print, or written in a language you read only partly. There are exceptions, and a review looks for them: the Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 15.50 limits on non-competes, the Property Code Chapter 92 protections that a residential lease cannot waive, the Deceptive Trade Practices Act rules on waivers, and the home solicitation cancellation rights in Business and Commerce Code Chapter 601. But the most valuable part of the review is usually not a statute; it is spotting the automatic renewal, the personal guarantee, the arbitration clause, the liquidated damages figure, or the venue clause that sends every dispute to a court in another state.
Robert Navar reads the contract line by line and returns a written memo organized by risk: what is standard and fine, what is unfavorable but negotiable, and what you should not sign as written. Each flagged clause comes with suggested replacement language you can send to the other side, and we include a short call to walk through the memo and answer questions. There is no court involved at any point. Compared with signing blind or relying on a friend who once read a similar contract, a professional review is inexpensive insurance, and for business contracts it pairs naturally with our contract drafting and operating agreement services.
Clauses we flag most often for El Paso clients
Automatic renewals that quietly lock you in for another term. Personal guarantees that make you individually liable for a business debt. Arbitration and venue clauses that move any dispute out of El Paso County. Broad indemnity language that makes you responsible for the other side's mistakes. Non-compete and non-solicitation terms wider than Texas law allows. Late fees, interest and liquidated damages that far exceed actual harm. Assignment clauses that let the other party hand the contract to someone you never agreed to work with.
Cost and turnaround
The flat fee is set by the length and type of contract, quoted as soon as we see the page count, and never changes based on how long the review takes. A standard residential lease or a short service agreement is at the low end; a franchise agreement, commercial lease or business purchase contract with exhibits costs more. Most reviews are returned within three to five business days. If you have a signing deadline in 24 to 48 hours, tell us and we will let you know whether a rush review is possible.
Bilingual contracts are common in El Paso, and where an English version and a Spanish version both exist we review both and flag any place where they differ, because the contract will usually say which one controls.
What's included
- Line-by-line attorney review of the full contract and its exhibits
- Written memo in plain English or Spanish organized by risk level
- Suggested replacement language for each clause we recommend changing
- Identification of Texas-law protections the contract tries to waive
- Comparison of English and Spanish versions when both exist
- A follow-up call to walk through the memo and answer questions
How it works
Send the contract
Email a PDF or photos of every page, including exhibits, and tell us your deadline and what worries you. We reply with a flat-fee quote based on length and type, usually the same day.
Attorney review and memo
Robert Navar reads the entire document and prepares a written memo that explains each risky clause, rates its importance, and gives you replacement language to request from the other side.
Walk-through call
We go over the memo by phone or at our El Paso office, answer your questions, and help you decide whether to sign, negotiate or walk away. Negotiating directly with the other side is available as an add-on.