Going Back/Negotiating Language in Offers, Confis, etc before Accepting Offer?

Curious has anyone ever done this? I am more junior so it's more about singing it or I won't get an offer but was there ever language you thought was excessive and you went back on it with a lower term? Curious at the more senior level what you have personally done, although I am assuming at that level lawyers are reviewing everything before anyway. 

2 Comments
 

Excessive legalese on clauses may happen either because of incompetent lawyers who can't write straightforwardly or because the company gets into sensitive topics where potential lawsuits may arise, so it's written in this way to ensure that almost any interpretation, in potential litigation, favors the other party.

You can approach your counterpart and ask politely for clarifications. If the clause seems extremely harsh based on his explanation, then you could propose a clause that it's more favorable to you and that the company would also accept. If they refuse, then you can weigh the risk-reward of accepting and decide between accepting the offer or moving on.

A key point when negotiating a contract is understanding what clauses are worth fighting for and which simply should be ceded. You decide based on how likely it is to happen, how much it is likely to affect you, how easy would be to make your counterpart accept it, or other circumstances that are peculiar to your transaction.

incentives trumph ethics
 
Most Helpful

Est autem ea totam omnis. Ab reiciendis maxime enim eos nesciunt et quae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”