Content Submission
& Editorial Process
Contract Nerds publishes expert-written content on a wide range of topics pertaining to contracts, including Contract Drafting, Contract Negotiation, Contract Management, Data Privacy Agreements, Technology Agreements, Careers in Contracts, CLM & Legal Tech, and several guest columns on niche topics.
We hold this content, and its authors, to the highest standards. Which is why we want our publication process to be transparent and straightforward both for our readers and for our contributors because we believe that transparency fosters trust, and trust is everything these days.
Our articles are curated on an invite-only basis. Expert authors must conform to our Submission Guidelines. Each article submitted then goes through our Editorial Process.
Submission Guidelines
· Topic: Your article should fall under one of these topics – Contract Drafting, Contract Negotiation, Contract Management, Careers in Contracts, Data Privacy Agreements, Technology Agreements, Contract Design, and CLM & Legal Tech.
· Title: Your title should be descriptive and catchy.
· Key Takeaways: Include three bullet points at the top of your article with key takeaways. Each takeaway should be one sentence.
· Subheadings: You should use at least three subheadings throughout your article.
· Word Count: 700-900 words.
· Audience: Lawyers, contracts professionals, and anyone who works with contracts.
Please submit your name, title, headshot, short bio, one link to your LinkedIn or firm website, and the draft article in MS Word format to nada@contractnerds.com.
Note: All submissions must be an original work of authorship written by you and not published elsewhere yet. Content generated by, from, or using ChatGPT or other generative AI is not considered an original work of authorship to us. Please do not submit or notify us in writing of such content.
IP Ownership & License Terms for Contributors
You are the owner of your intellectual property, and that includes the article that you submit to us. When you submit the article to us for consideration, you agree to license the article (and all drafts of the article) exclusively to Contract Nerds and give Contract Nerds permission to use, publish, distribute, monetize, edit, and create derivative works of the article via the Contract Nerds website, social media channels, newsletter, and other mediums. You will be credited as the author of the article and allowed to share the article in its published format via any of your channels. But any derivative works you create from the article must vary by at least 30% or more, including the title.
Why You Should Contribute
· Build Your Personal and Professional Brand
· Engage With Our Community
· Increase Google Searchability
· Add to Your Resume
· Talking Point in Interviews
· Build Your Book of Business
· Pass Your Tips On To Others
· Help Bridge the Education Gap
· Tap Into Your Creative Side
· Improve Your Writing Skills
Editorial Process
When Contract Nerds first launched, all content was reviewed and edited solely by Nada Alnajafi, Founder & Chief Editor of Contract Nerds.
Now, there are two stages to the editorial review process. First, each article is reviewed and edited by the Chief Editor for accuracy, clarity, style, tone, and grammar. The article is usually then reviewed by a second Expert Reviewer for accuracy, clarity, reasonableness, and to ascertain that the author has relevant domain expertise. (Note: As we have published over 150 articles in the past three years, we are working on applying this second step to all of our articles. Our intention is to complete this process soon.)
The Expert Reviewer is indicated at the top of each article. You will see key ideas and information highlighted at the top. We strive to make legal information easily digestible; we know that our content informs important decisions made by readers and community members.
Important Disclaimer: Remember that none of the advice or information provided by, from, or through Contract Nerds should substitute or preclude independent legal advice. The opinions expressed throughout this website are not intended to provide legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Contract Nerds is not a law firm.
Expert Reviewers
Nada Alnajafi is an award-winning in-house attorney, author, and keynote speaker. Nada currently serves as Sr. Corporate Counsel for Franklin Templeton, a Fortune-500 global financial services organization. Previously, she served as in-house counsel for startups and large OEMs. Nada is particularly passionate about contracts. She dedicates much of her time outside of work to creating resources about contracts for lawyers and contracts professionals, including through her LinkedIn posts, articles, and her book Contract Redlining Etiquette. As the Chief Editor & Founder of Contract Nerds, Nada reviews every single article before selecting only the best content for publication. She is also the Expert Reviewer for various categories and guest columns.
Lisa Lang currently serves as the General Counsel for Ohio Northern University. Lisa first began her career as a lawyer working as an associate attorney specializing in insurance defense for a law firm in Louisville, Kentucky. She left that firm in 2008 to work for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. She first worked in the Office of the Attorney General as an Assistant Attorney General and then for the Kentucky Department of Education in a variety of in-house counsel roles until taking her current position at Kentucky State in 2017. Lisa is a blogger, speaker, and co-author of the anthology #Networked. With her diverse career and passion for helping others thrive in theirs, Lisa is the Expert Reviewer for our Careers in Contracts category.
Sapna Mahboobani is Assistant VP & Senior Counsel for Sun Life. Sapna is an experienced lawyer with over 10 years of experience, mostly in the information technology space. She has represented both the supplier and the customer in IT transactions of all sizes, and predominantly in the cloud computing and SaaS space. Sapna is the Expert Reviewer for our Technology Agreements category.
Lucy Bassli is an attorney, author of The Simple Guide to Legal Innovation and CLM Simplified: Efficient Contracting for Law Departments, and founder of InnoLaw Group, PLLC, a modern solution provider that offers legal advice and consults on operationalizing the practice of law. Her team works with law departments on modernizing their legal service delivery and resourcing models, and trains lawyers in innovative practices. Lucy specializes in all things contracting: resource allocation, automation, process optimization and smart risk-taking. Through licensed US lawyers on the team, clients receive substantive advice on templates, playbooks, and empowerment guides. Lucy is the Expert Reviewer for our Contract Management category.
Randall Green is a shareholder and director at Meyer Capel where his practice focuses on complex business and real estate transactions and negotiations. He teaches Advanced Negotiation Skills & Strategies and coaches various negotiation teams as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law. Randy prides himself on approaching business negotiations in a way that strengthens relationships, creates untapped value, and exceeds expectations of parties on all sides of the table. Randy is the Expert Reviewer for our Contract Negotiation category.
Jennifer Sheridan is the founder and principal of JLSheridan Law, a Silicon Valley boutique law firm focused on technology transactions, IP counseling and data privacy compliance. Jenny has earned the CIPP/US and CIPP/E privacy certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). She is also the founder of StartUp Law Bootcamp, a training platform for technology attorneys as well as StartUp Law Forum, a knowledge and networking community for technology attorneys. She is also an adjunct law professor at Santa Clara Law School and USF Law School.
