Glossary
Contract drafting glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms that come up when you build contracts and SOPs.
- Clause
- A self-contained provision within a contract, addressing a specific topic (payment, confidentiality, termination).
- Clause library
- A curated, version-controlled collection of pre-approved contract language that lets you assemble agreements from vetted building blocks.
- Boilerplate
- Standardized language that appears in many contracts unchanged - governing law, severability, entire agreement, notices.
- Fallback language
- Alternative phrasing for a clause used when the preferred terms cannot be agreed on. Often saved as a variant of the primary clause.
- Variant
- An alternate version of a clause body, swapped in or out per contract without disturbing the document structure.
- Redline
- A draft showing edits to a contract with inserted text underlined and deleted text struck through.
- MSA
- Master Services Agreement. A top-level contract governing the ongoing relationship between two parties; individual engagements typically attach as SOWs.
- SOW
- Statement of Work. A document describing a specific engagement's scope, deliverables, timeline, and price, usually attached to an MSA.
- NDA
- Non-Disclosure Agreement. Mutual NDAs bind both parties; one-way NDAs bind only the recipient.
- CLM
- Contract Lifecycle Management. Enterprise software covering drafting, negotiation, e-signature, storage, and renewal of contracts.