An NDA is usually the first document in a relationship, and often the least examined.
It gets treated as a formality, which is how businesses end up with one-way obligations, definitions broad enough to catch information they already had, restrictions that run for years longer than the discussion, and non-solicit or exclusivity terms quietly tucked in among the confidentiality wording.
Once it is signed it governs everything you go on to disclose, so it is worth understanding properly.
Protecting Confidential Information Before Contracts Are Signed
An NDA protects confidential information when you are talking to someone you do not yet have a contract with.
Typical uses include:
- Early conversations with a customer, supplier or partner;
- Investment discussions and acquisition talks;
- Sharing designs, code, data or pricing with a third party; and
- Bringing in contractors or agencies before the main contract is agreed.
We draft one-way and mutual NDAs you can reuse, and we review the ones sent to you.
The points we check include whether it is mutual, is the permitted purpose defined tightly enough, are the standard carve-outs there, how long do the obligations last, what happens to information at the end, and is anything hiding in it that goes beyond confidentiality.
Our Approach
Legal advice that makes running and growing your business easier.
We start with your business, not the law.
Before we open a document, we want to understand what you are trying to do commercially. The legal answer is only useful if it serves that.
We get to the point.
You get a clear view of what matters and what does not, in plain English, with the real risks separated from the noise.
We give you an answer.
Not a menu of options and a shrug. We tell you what we would do, why, and where there is a genuine judgment call for you to make.
We stay available.
Whether you work with us on a single project or on a subscription, we are here for the follow-up question. We would always rather you asked.
Ways of working together
Fixed-fee projects
A single, defined piece of work for an agreed fixed fee, communicated before we engage. Reviewing a contract, drafting your terms, handling a negotiation.
No surprises and no hidden fees
Flagship Subscription
Ares Access
Ongoing support on a fixed monthly subscription, for businesses that need commercial legal input regularly rather than as the occasional one-off.
- Dedicated lawyer
- Fixed monthly fees
- Commercial advice on demand
From £500 plus VAT per month
Legal Health Check
Fixed fee of £2,000 plus VAT
Any questions?
Phone: 02382 420035
