Need to update an existing contract?

A formal amendment is usually worth doing when the change affects an important commercial term such as price, scope, timing, exclusivity, liability, payment structure or the length of the arrangement. Many contracts also contain a clause saying changes must be in writing and signed by the parties. If you rely only on emails or verbal discussions, you can end up with conflicting records or uncertainty about what was actually agreed. A written amendment helps tie the new term back to the original contract and makes the updated position much clearer.

An amendment document usually identifies the original contract, states which clauses are being changed, and confirms that the rest of the agreement stays in place unless expressly varied. Depending on the deal, it may update pricing, service descriptions, milestones, delivery dates, payment timing, renewal terms or responsibilities between the parties. It can also include an effective date so everyone is clear about when the new arrangement starts. We check the original contract first, because some agreements require a particular amendment method or wording to make the change effective.

The drafting depends on both the original contract and the exact change being made. Key details include the date and parties to the existing agreement, the clauses that need to change, whether the change is temporary or permanent, and whether any related schedules or definitions also need updating. It also matters whether the contract already has a variation clause, approval process or notice requirement. If the amendment is not aligned with the original wording and structure, it can create inconsistency between old and new terms, which is one of the main risks we look out for.

Standard wording can miss the details that matter in practice, especially where the arrangement involves data, payments, liability or regulated steps. However, it often misses the mechanics of the original contract. For example, the contract may require amendments to be signed in a certain way, approved by specific parties, or expressed as a deed rather than a short letter. A generic template may also change one clause without fixing related clauses, definitions or schedules. That can leave the agreement internally inconsistent. A tailored amendment is usually more useful where the contract is commercially important or the change affects more than one part of the deal.

Timing depends on how clear the proposed changes are and whether the original contract is straightforward or heavily negotiated. In practice, the quickest matters are those where the parties already agree on the new terms and can provide the current signed contract promptly. If there are multiple clauses to update, or if the amendment needs to work around existing notice, approval or variation wording, it can take longer. Once engaged, the next step is to provide the contract and a summary of the changes you want reflected so the legal work can be scoped and prepared properly.

Just submit an enquiry via this page or click the 'get started' button on our website to submit an enquiry. After you've submitted an enquiry, one of our legal consultants will review your enquiry within 1 business day and get in touch to get a better idea of exactly what you are looking for.

Then your legal consultant will send through an email with a bit more information about the services you need, along with a fixed fee quote setting out costs, scope of the service and timing. Have a read through it, and if you're happy with the scope, you can accept and sign our engagement letter online - easy!

Once you've formally accepted, we'll connect you with a specialist lawyer and they will work with you to complete your project. They will contact you by email or phone if they need to get in touch.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Amending A Contract service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We operate completely online, which means we can help you wherever you are in New Zealand. We have office spaces in Sydney, and in Melbourne, but our use of technology allows our team members to work remotely from around the world. Our legal team are mostly based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. We also have a London office for Sprintlaw UK.

Our legal team is made up of experienced lawyers, who are specialists in various areas of law and hold an Australian legal practising certificate. None of our Sprintlaw lawyers are New Zealand qualified lawyers and they do not currently hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

They provide legal services working remotely from Australia via our 'legal consultancy' model, through which (under section 6 and section 35 of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006) our Australian legal team are permitted to provide legal services to New Zealand businesses provided they do not provide services in certain 'reserved' areas of law. You can read our FAQ page to learn a bit more about our 'legal consultancy' model.

Given the strong similarities between Australian and New Zealand law, and the areas of law in which we practice (being small business and startup law), we do not view the fact that our lawyers have not qualified in New Zealand as having any substantive impact on the quality of our service. We are committed to ensuring that we provide high quality, affordable legal services to all our New Zealand clients.

Our legal team have all trained at leading firms, but have left the traditional corporate law world to join us on our mission to create a new and better way of delivering legal services. They have specialist expertise in technology law, intellectual property law, contract drafting and review, corporate law and commercial law.