Where the time goes
Audit any slow contract and you'll find the same culprits: drafting from scratch, internal approval ping-pong, chasing signatures, and renegotiating terms that should have been pre-approved. None of these require a faster lawyer — they require a better process.
The eight tactics
- Template everything repeatable. NDAs, MSAs, and order forms should never be drafted from a blank page. A pre-approved template removes a full review cycle.
- Pre-approve fallback positions. Give sales a clause library with acceptable alternates. "Net 30 or Net 45, your choice" closes faster than escalating every payment-term ask to legal.
- Parallel internal review. Route approvers simultaneously where possible instead of one-at-a-time.
- Set signing-order intentionally. Don't make the CEO sign first if they're the bottleneck — counter-sign last.
- Automate reminders. Most delay is silence. Scheduled nudges recover days per agreement.
- Use reusable fields. Pre-place signature, date, and initial fields so senders aren't dragging boxes every time.
- Set expirations. A deadline focuses attention. Open-ended requests drift.
- Measure cycle time per stage. You can't fix a bottleneck you can't see. Track time-in-stage and attack the worst one.
The compounding effect
These tactics aren't independent — they stack. A team that templates its top three agreements, pre-approves fallbacks, and automates reminders routinely cuts median turnaround from weeks to days. The deals don't just close faster; they close at a higher rate, because momentum itself is a closing factor.
What not to do
Don't speed up by skipping review on high-value or non-standard agreements. The goal is to make the standard path frictionless so legal's attention is reserved for the contracts that genuinely need it.