NDAs and confidentiality agreements
A confidentiality agreement is short, which is why people sign them without reading. The obligations they create can last for years and reach further than expected.
From £350 · one-way or mutual
When this is useful
Situations this service is for
- You are about to disclose something commercially sensitive in early discussions.
- A larger company has sent you their standard NDA and it is heavily one-sided.
- You are approaching investors or a potential buyer.
- You are sharing technical information, customer data or pricing with a possible supplier.
- You want a short mutual NDA you can reuse rather than negotiating one each time.
What we do
The work itself
- Check whether the agreement is genuinely mutual, or one-way dressed up as mutual.
- Check the definition of confidential information is neither uselessly narrow nor unworkably broad.
- Check the duration, and whether obligations survive after the discussions end.
- Look for the clauses that do not belong in an NDA: non-solicitation, exclusivity, intellectual property assignment and non-compete terms.
- Confirm what happens to the information if the deal does not proceed.
- Draft a short, workable NDA where you would rather use your own.
Before you book
What to send us
- 01The NDA you have been sent, if there is one.
- 02Who is disclosing what, and to whom.
- 03Whether the disclosure is one-way or in both directions.
- 04How long the information stays sensitive.
- 05Whether any third parties or advisers need to see it.
What happens
How the work runs
- 01
A quick read
NDAs are short. We can usually tell you whether it is standard and acceptable, or whether it contains something that does not belong in it, without a lengthy process.
- 02
Advice or amendments
Either a short note on the points that matter, or marked-up amendments where the scope includes them.
- 03
Your own template, where useful
If you sign NDAs regularly, a single reusable agreement is usually better value than reviewing each one you are sent.
What you receive
Deliverables
- Advice on the NDA you have been sent, or a drafted agreement of your own.
- A clear answer on duration, scope and anything that does not belong in a confidentiality agreement.
Fee
From £350
This price assumes
- One-way or mutual
- One revision round
Included
- Scoping
- First draft
- One revision round
- Execution copy
Not included
- Wider commercial terms, which are drafted separately
Prices are indicative minimums for matters within the assumptions shown. We review the document and confirm a fixed fee in writing before any work begins. No legal advice is given during the free initial assessment.
All fees and what changes themQuestions
Common questions
- Is an NDA worth having at all?
- It is worth having, but it works mainly as a deterrent and as evidence that information was given in confidence. Enforcement depends on proving what was disclosed, so keep a record of it.
- Should the NDA be mutual?
- If both sides are disclosing, yes. Many 'mutual' NDAs are drafted so that the obligations fall in practice on one party only.
- How long should confidentiality last?
- Long enough for the information to stop mattering. Perpetual obligations are common in drafts and are often resisted, but for genuine trade secrets they can be reasonable.
Related services
Send us the document and we will confirm whether we can assist.
You will get a straight answer on scope, fee and timing before any work begins.
Enquiries receive a response within one working day.