• videocam Live Webinar with Live Q&A
  • calendar_month December 8, 2026 @ 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT
  • signal_cellular_alt Beginner
  • card_travel Contracts
  • schedule 90 minutes

Reviewing and Redlining Commercial Contracts: Issue Spotting, Risk Triage, and Client-Ready Markups

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Discount expires 11/24/26

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About the Course

Introduction

This CLE webinar will provide practical guidance for reviewing and redlining commercial contracts received from counterparties. The panel will discuss how counsel can approach the first review, identify provisions that require attention, determine which issues warrant revision or escalation, and prepare a markup that reflects the client's business and legal priorities.

Description

Reviewing a counterparty's contract requires more than identifying unfavorable language. Counsel must understand the transaction, determine where meaningful risk lies, and decide which provisions should be revised, negotiated, or accepted.

An effective review also requires judgment about how much to change and where to focus. Over-redlining can distract from material issues and make negotiations more difficult, while failing to address key provisions may leave the client with risks it did not intend to assume. The lawyer must also consider how provisions work together rather than reviewing each clause in isolation.

Counsel should have a disciplined approach for reviewing the agreement, comparing the contract to client requirements or precedent, identifying deviations from preferred positions, and distinguishing legal concerns from business decisions. The resulting markup should clearly communicate proposed changes and provide the client or supervising attorney with the information needed to make decisions and negotiate effectively.

Listen as our panel discusses practical approaches to reviewing commercial contracts, prioritizing issues, preparing useful redlines and comments, and communicating contract risks to clients and deal teams.

Presented By

Donald S. Trevarthen
(Ret.) Director, Division Counsel
The Toro Company

Mr. Trevarthen retired in 2015 from The Toro Company as Director, Division Counsel after over 25 years of service. At Toro, he had extensive experience with negotiating, drafting, and enforcing contracts across a wide range of subject matters and business units. Prior to Toro, Prof. Trevarthen  worked from 1979-1987 as a Project Engineer for General Motors Corporation in Saginaw, MI and for Tennant Company in Golden Valley, MN.

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Credit Information

  • This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.


  • Live Online


    On Demand

Date + Time

  • event

    Tuesday, December 8, 2026

  • schedule

    1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT

I. Preparing for contract review: transaction objectives, client requirements, precedent, and negotiating positions

II. Reviewing the agreement: structure, obligations, core financial terms, and material departures

III. Prioritizing issues: legal risk, business risk, and matters requiring escalation

IV. Preparing the redline: revising, deleting, commenting on, and accepting language

V. Communicating the review: issue lists, explanations of risk, and preparing for negotiation

VI. Practitioner takeaways

The panel will review these and other key issues:

  • How should counsel organize the initial review of a commercial contract?
  • Which provisions and issues should receive priority in the first markup?
  • How can counsel distinguish material legal risks from business and negotiating points?
  • How should counsel use precedent, contract playbooks, and preferred positions without applying them mechanically?
  • How can counsel prepare a focused, internally consistent markup that moves the negotiation forward?
  • What information should accompany the redline when reporting issues to the client or supervising attorney?