Retrieving a clause
The point of a clause library is that people stop drafting from memory. That only works if retrieval gives the whole position.
Return four things
The preferred clause, verbatim · the approved variants, with when each is used · the fallback position and the floor below which it goes to a partner · the drafting notes — why it is worded that way, and what breaks if it is changed.
Always state the floor
"Approved down to a 12-month cap; below that, partner sign-off" is the useful part. A clause without its negotiating range gets conceded.
Version and jurisdiction
Say which version this is, when it was last reviewed, and which jurisdictions it was approved for. A clause approved for one jurisdiction is not automatically right in another.
When there is no approved clause
Say so. Do not adapt the nearest one — that is drafting, and it needs a fee earner.
Never
Return a clause from a previous matter as though it were approved, or a variant whose review date has passed without saying so.
