Built by a Lawyer for Non-Lawyers
As an attorney, I’ve seen many friends struggle to understand or negotiate contracts — not because they’re unwilling, but because hiring a lawyer can be too expensive.
That’s why I created Contract Buddy: a low-cost, efficient, AI-powered assistant that helps the average person understand, revise, and negotiate contracts with confidence.
While most contract-review tools focus on enterprises and legal teams, Contract Buddy is a B2C (business-to-consumer) application designed specifically for everyday people — freelancers, renters, small business owners, and anyone signing an agreement.
Empower non-lawyers to understand and negotiate contracts.
Contract Buddy bridges the gap between full legal review and self-reliance — helping users see what matters, why it matters, and how to fix it.
- 📄 Contract Upload: Supports PDF, DOCX, or plain text
- 🤖 Document AI Extraction: Identifies clauses, parties, and key terms automatically
- 💬 Plain-Language Explanations: No legalese — everything explained like a friend would
- ✍️ Smart Recommendations: Suggests edits and shows why each change helps you
- 🧍 User Role Selection: Asks if you’re the drafting or adverse party and tailors advice
- 🧠 AI Clause Rewrites: Uses GPT-4o to suggest fairer, clearer language
- 🧾 Snowflake Data Layer: Provides industry reference standards for fairness and consistency
- Upload your contract in PDF, DOCX, or text format.
- Document AI extracts structured data — parties, dates, clauses, amounts.
- System identifies the party.
- GPT-4o analyzes each clause and generates:
- Plain-language summaries
- Suggested improvements
- Explanations of why changes help you
- Snowflake stores and benchmarks data to ensure consistent, high-quality insights.
| Layer | Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend | Replit / HTML / JavaScript | User interface for uploads and user interaction |
| Backend | Python (Flask) | API and processing logic |
| Data Layer | Snowflake | Stores structured contract data and industry reference standards |
| AI Extraction | Document AI | Extracts structured information from uploaded contracts |
| Intelligent Analysis | GPT-4o | Provides contextual reasoning and generates improved clause language |
| Storage | Snowflake / Local File System | Persists user data and analysis results |
| Deployment | Replit Cloud / Render | Application hosting and delivery |
I built around 50% of Contract Buddy a few months ago using Replit.
At this hackathon, I completed the project — improving reliability, reducing errors, and integrating Snowflake to manage data and contract standards.
Contract Buddy will be featured in the Startup Track of the hackathon.
📝 Summary:
This is a service agreement outlining payment, responsibilities, and confidentiality.
🔍 Recommended Change:
Clause 5 – Termination
→ Suggest: Add a right for either party to terminate with 14 days' notice.
💬 Why: Creates flexibility and balances risk between both sides.
✅ In plain English:
Add this so you can walk away if the other side stops performing.
- Everyday consumers signing leases, service or freelance contracts
- Small business owners or creators negotiating agreements
- Anyone seeking affordable, easy-to-understand legal insights
Value Proposition:
Contract Buddy empowers users to understand and negotiate contracts without expensive attorney fees — offering the clarity and confidence they need to protect themselves.
- Python 3.10+
- Snowflake account and credentials
- Google Cloud Document AI credentials
- OpenAI API key (for GPT-4o)
git clone https://github.com/rmannan6/contract-buddy.git
cd contract-buddy
pip install -r requirements.txtpython app.pyThen open your browser and visit:
http://localhost:5000
Contract Buddy provides educational information only and does not constitute legal advice.
Users should consult a qualified attorney for specific legal issues.
Pull requests and feature ideas are welcome!
Please fork the repo, create a feature branch, and submit a PR.
Developed by Rosanna Mannan
📍 Startup Track Participant
🧑⚖️ Built by a lawyer for non-lawyers using Replit, Snowflake, Document AI, and GPT-4o.
📧 [rmannan@alumni.scu.edu]
🌐 [https://contract-buddy.replit.app/]