The stat about 90% of agency clients not reading contracts fully blew my mind

I was at a networking event for freelancers last month in Austin and someone from a legal review service dropped this stat that 90% of clients never read the full contract before signing. I thought they were exaggerating, you know? But then I looked up the actual study (it was from a 2022 Clio survey) and it checks out. That honestly changed how I write my proposals now because I used to hide all the important stuff in the fine print thinking people would actually see it. Now I put the big limitations and scope details right in the first paragraph of the summary. Has anyone else adjusted their contract format after finding out something similar?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_gray12d ago

Read something similar in a business newsletter a few months back. It said most people treat contracts like terms of service agreements and just scroll to the signature line.

spencer_thomas412d ago

Totally agree with you @the_gray. I saw the same thing in a newsletter about small business law and it basically said people skim contracts like they're reading a cereal box. Last year I signed a lease without reading the part about parking fees and it cost me an extra $50 a month for six months. You'd think we'd learn after all those "I agree" buttons we click without looking, right?