Every Clause Tells a Story: Contract Playbook for Corporate Lawyers

Every Clause Tells a Story: A Contract Playbook for Lawyers is not another book about contract drafting.It is a practical guide to understanding the business stories, commercial risks and real-world negotiations hidden behind every clause.Most contract books explain what a clause says.This book explains why the clause exists.Why does an NDA contain a confidentiality obligation?Why do SaaS agreements focus so heavily on data ownership and security?Why do lawyers spend hours negotiating liability caps, indemnities and termination rights?Why do shareholders need tag-along rights, and why do businesses insist on detailed Statements of Work?The answers lie not in legal jargon, but in business realities.Drawing on years of in-house counsel experience, Mohit Gulati takes readers inside the deal room and explains contracts through practical business scenarios, commercial negotiations and real-life examples. Instead of treating agreements as collections of legal clauses, this book shows how every provision exists to solve a specific business problem.From the first confidential discussion to the final settlement of a dispute, the book follows the complete lifecycle of a commercial relationship and explains the agreements that support it.Inside the Book- Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)- Master Services Agreements (MSAs)- Statements of Work (SOWs)- SaaS Agreements- Data Processing Agreements (DPAs)- Service Level Agreements (SLAs)- Software License Agreements- Intellectual Property Assignment Agreements- OEM Agreements- Employment Agreements- Consultancy Agreements- Lease Agreements- Leave & License Agreements- Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs)- Channel Partner & Reseller Agreements- Shareholders' Agreements- Share Purchase Agreements- Related Party Transaction Agreements- Loan Agreements- CSR Agreements- Settlement Agreements- Using AI for Contract Drafting, Review and NegotiationEvery Chapter Includes- Deal Room Snapshot- Business Scenario and Story-Based Learning- Plain-English Explanation of Key Clauses- Commercial and Legal Risk Analysis- Practical Negotiation Insights- Red Flags and Common Mistakes- In-House Counsel Review Framework- Key TakeawaysBonus Resources- Contract Review Master Checklist- Sample Templates and Drafting Tips- Plain-English Legal Glossary- Practical Guidance for Modern In-House CounselWhether you are an in-house lawyer, commercial counsel, contract manager, procurement professional, law student, founder or business leader, this book will help you understand contracts the way experienced lawyers do-not as collections of clauses, but as frameworks for managing relationships, allocating risk and creating value.Because behind every clause is a concern.Behind every concern is a risk.And behind every risk is a story.Every Clause Tells a Story is your practical guide to understanding those stories.