Parties
Identify each party by full legal name, entity type, and principal place of business; include authorized representatives for negotiation and contact information for notices promptly.
Use a Letter of Intent Agreement to document essential terms early, align expectations, and preserve negotiation leverage. It speeds due diligence, identifies binding versus nonbinding provisions, and creates a concise record of deal parameters that counsel and stakeholders can review before drafting final agreements.
Parties commonly using a Letter of Intent Agreement include buyers, sellers, investors, and legal or business development teams.
In practice, LOIs are often circulated among deal teams, finance, and outside counsel for approval before execution.
An authorized corporate officer, such as a CEO or president, may sign a Letter of Intent Agreement on behalf of the company when corporate bylaws or board resolutions grant express authority; include title and proof of authority if requested by counterparties or counsel to confirm signing power.
An agent with a notarized power of attorney or corporate resolution can sign if the LOI permits representative execution; parties often request a certificate of incumbency or board resolution to validate the agent's authority and avoid later challenges to enforceability.
Identify each party by full legal name, entity type, and principal place of business; include authorized representatives for negotiation and contact information for notices promptly.
Describe the proposed transaction in specific terms, including assets, equity percentage, purchase price range, payment structure, and any contingencies or earn-outs, and identify closing conditions.
State whether the parties agree to an exclusivity or no-shop period, length of exclusivity, permitted negotiations with third parties, and remedies for breach of exclusivity.
Specify the scope and duration of due diligence, required document lists, access rights to facilities and records, confidentiality obligations during review, and expected completion date for diligence.
Clearly indicate which provisions are intended to be binding—such as confidentiality, exclusivity, governing law, and expenses—and state that other terms are nonbinding until definitive agreements are executed.
List key milestones, target closing date, notice and cure periods, and any conditions precedent; include a procedure to extend dates or terminate the LOI if milestones are not met.
| Document field or workflow setting | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Signature placement and required fields | Drag-and-drop fields, required toggles per signer |
| Authentication and access controls by signer type | Email link, SMS code, or KBA |
| Automated routing and notifications to internal approvers | Set signing order and notify stakeholders |
| Record retention and audit trail | Enable audit logs, timestamps, download copies |
Digital delivery and eSignature options for a Letter of Intent Agreement should support secure authentication, audit trails, and accessible signed copies for all parties.
Specify start and end dates in MM/DD/YYYY format.
List required deliverables and completion date.
Conditional on satisfying conditions precedent and approvals.
State required notice days and cure opportunities.
Describe how to request extensions and who approves them.
A developer used a Letter of Intent Agreement to lock basic purchase terms for a mixed-use parcel while completing environmental and title due diligence.
An investor issued a Letter of Intent Agreement outlining valuation range, tranche conditions, and board observer rights before committing capital.
| Criteria | LOI | Term Sheet | MOU | Purchase Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comparative binding and enforceability status | often nonbinding | often nonbinding | varies by terms | binding when signed |
| Typical level of documented detail | high-level | key commercial terms | broad principles | complete legal terms |
| Primary purpose and negotiation role | frame deal | guide negotiation | express intent | finalize obligations |
| Relative legal risk and dispute likelihood | lower | moderate | moderate | high |
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
| Bulk Send | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Varies |
| Audit Trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |