AI contract review in Arabic: the ten clauses to check before signing any Arab-law contract

A practical checklist of the riskiest clauses in regional commercial contracts, and how AI contract review surfaces them in minutes with suggested amendments.

Most disputes that reach courts and arbitration centres could have been avoided by a closer reading of a few clauses before signing. These are the ten to stop at in any commercial contract under Arab law.

1. Governing law and forum: does the clause send disputes to another country's courts or to arbitration at a distant seat? The cost may exceed the dispute.
2. Arbitration clause: is it clear on centre, seat, language and number of arbitrators? Vague clauses produce years of procedural fights.
3. Delay penalties and liquidated damages: is there a cap, and can the court reduce it? Many Arab codes allow courts to reduce excessive penalties.
4. Limitation and exclusion of liability: is the other side excused from indirect loss, or from all liability?
5. Force majeure: what is covered and with what effect, suspension or termination; are government decisions and regulatory changes included?
6. Termination: who may terminate, on what notice, with what consequences, and is there termination for convenience?
7. Payment and security: payment dates, guarantees, retention rights and the mechanism for disputing invoices.
8. Intellectual property and confidentiality: who owns what is produced, and how long confidentiality survives.
9. Assignment and subcontracting: can the other party transfer the contract to a company you do not know?
10. Language and prevailing version: if the Arabic and English texts differ, which prevails? In several countries the Arabic text prevails before the courts regardless of the agreement.

How contract review works in LexArab

Upload the contract (PDF or Word), choose the country and your position (seller, buyer, contractor, landlord). The assistant analyses each clause, grades the risk high, medium or low, explains why with reference to the applicable law, proposes alternative wording for each risky clause, and summarises in Arabic and English. A contract of dozens of pages takes minutes.

What remains for the lawyer

Judging whether a risk is commercially acceptable, negotiating the alternatives, and making sure an amendment does not open a gap elsewhere. The tool reveals; the lawyer decides.