Master Services Agreement for Brand Strategy Consultants: What to Include (Customizable Template)

Introduction

As a Brand Strategy Consultant, having a clear Master Services Agreement (MSA) is crucial for managing multi-phase work, approvals, and handoffs with your clients. This agreement helps you outline deliverables, protect your intellectual property, and ensures smooth communication throughout the project. Customize your Master Services Agreement now to fit your needs and safeguard your work.

Legal Terms: What Matters Most for Brand Strategy Consultants

IP Ownership

• Ownership upon payment: Make it clear that clients only own the IP once they have paid the agreed fees. This protects you and your work.
• Avoid feeding IP into AI models: Specify that the client cannot use your work in AI models without your express permission. This clause preserves the originality of your creations.
• Attribution: Recommend guidelines for when and how you should be credited for your work to maintain your professional reputation.

Revision Limits and Payment Milestones

• Revision caps: Set a reasonable limit on the number of revisions you will make, such as two rounds of edits. This helps manage client expectations and your workload.
• Acceptance criteria: Define clear criteria for what constitutes an acceptable deliverable, ensuring that both parties agree on quality standards.
• Milestone payments: Create a simple schedule for payment milestones that correlates with project phases. For instance, a percentage of the total fee upon project initiation and another upon acceptance of the final deliverable.

Scope Creep and Change Orders

• Triggers for change orders: Include precise language that defines when a change order is necessary, helping to manage added work and costs.
• Pricing guidance: Recommend a system for pricing any extra tasks or revisions outside the original scope, so clients know what to expect.
• Schedule impact language: Clarify how changes might affect delivery timelines, keeping clients informed of potential delays.

Other Helpful Clauses for Brand Strategy Consultants

• Portfolio rights: Ensure you retain the right to showcase your work in your portfolio, as it is a crucial part of attracting future clients.
• Confidentiality: Include a confidentiality clause to protect both parties' sensitive information and foster trust throughout the project.

How Counsel Club Helps

Counsel Club re-imagines legal for startups, freelancers, and creative entrepreneurs. Our platform allows you to search for lawyer-drafted forms for startups, freelancers, content creators, and other creative entrepreneurs. Our platform guides you through modifications, both to the contract and the scope of work. Counsel Club has the most sophisticated drafting tool on the market, and it was designed and developed by lawyers. If you want more help, reach out to a Counsel Club lawyer through our Concierge program. Our legal agent, Amicus, was trained on proprietary legal data to be your best legal assistant. Finally, legal for today, that is fast, protective, and cost effective.

Questions to Ask Amicus

• What rights do I have over the IP I create for clients?
• How should I handle revisions if the client asks for more than what is agreed?
• What can I do if the project scope changes unexpectedly?

Closing CTA

Creating your Master Services Agreement is an important step in protecting your brand strategy consulting business. Pair it with Statements of Work (SOWs) for added clarity and security. Customize your Master Services Agreement now to ensure a successful partnership with your clients.