Check security documents before they shape the deal

Because the headline commercial deal and the security position are not the same thing. A term sheet or investment summary may describe the funding at a high level, while the security documents set out what assets are caught, what restrictions apply, what events can trigger enforcement and what rights a lender or secured party may hold if things go wrong. Those details can affect future fundraising, asset sales and operational flexibility. Reviewing the security documents separately helps you understand the real legal weight of the deal.

It is commonly used by founders, growth-stage companies, borrowers, guarantors and investors involved in a financing or fundraising transaction where security is being granted or received. That might include a lender asking for a general security agreement, a founder being asked to sign a personal promise, or an investor wanting to understand how the security position fits with the broader transaction. It is especially useful where the documents arrive late in the process and the pressure to sign quickly is increasing.

We usually look at what property or assets are covered, whether the security is broad or limited, what promises and restrictions are being given, what default events are listed, and what enforcement rights may follow. We also consider whether the documents create practical problems for future borrowing, investor negotiations or business operations. If a personal promise is involved, that can raise a different level of personal risk from a company-only security document. The review is aimed at showing where the legal pressure points sit before you commit.

Often yes, provided the review is being done in the context of a New Zealand transaction or New Zealand legal issues. In that situation, we can comment on the documents from a New Zealand legal and practical perspective, including how the security terms may affect your local business position. What we cannot do under this service is advise on foreign law issues outside our jurisdiction. If the documents rely heavily on another country's law or enforcement framework, that may require overseas counsel as well.

That depends on what the review shows. In some cases, the next step is to sign because the security position is consistent with the commercial deal you expected. In others, it may be sensible to ask targeted questions, request amendments or pause before committing to a promise or broad security grant. The written summary and follow-up consult are there to help you decide which issues are material and which are less likely to justify negotiation. If further document work is needed, we can discuss that separately.

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 Security Documents Review Pack 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.