Forms-Provider Survey
Legal due diligence request lists, compared topic by topic
A topic-by-topic comparison of four widely used legal due-diligence request lists, compiled from each list's own request text. The same topics get very different treatment, so each cell shows how much a list spends on that topic.
Related: OpenAgreements form · Templates library · All law surveys
Hover a bar for the list’s own request wording; hover a topic name for what it means.
| Provision | OpenAgreements CC BY 4.0 as of 2026-07-01 16/16 · ≈1,283 words | K&L Gates (M&A) © K&L Gates LLP as of 2026-07-01 14/16 · ≈2,498 words | DLA Piper (M&A) © DLA Piper LLP (US) as of 2026-07-01 14/16 · ≈4,231 words | Carta (M&A) © Carta, Inc. as of 2026-07-01 14/16 · ≈5,519 words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate & capital | ||||
| Corporate organization & governanceRequests for the entity's charter, bylaws, board and stockholder minutes and consents, good standing, and officer/director records — the basic corporate existence and authority record. | ||||
| Capitalization & securitiesRequests for the cap table, equity ledgers (stock, options, warrants, SAFEs, notes), incentive-plan documents, securities-law compliance, and stockholder/voting/registration-rights agreements. | ||||
| Related-party transactionsRequests for transactions and arrangements between the company and insiders (officers, directors, founders, 5%+ holders and their family), insider indebtedness, and special-purpose-entity arrangements. | · | |||
| Subsidiaries & affiliatesRequests for the organizational chart, subsidiary formation/governance documents, and intercompany arrangements. Some lists fold this into corporate organization rather than breaking it out. | · | · | ||
| Financial | ||||
| Financial statementsRequests for audited and interim financial statements. Distinct from tax; some lists give it its own section, others fold it into an assets or miscellaneous bucket. | ||||
| TaxRequests for federal/state/local and foreign tax returns, audit correspondence, tax-sharing and indemnification agreements, and nexus/registration analyses. | ||||
| Indebtedness & liensRequests for loan and credit agreements, guarantees and contingent obligations, UCC/lien searches, and change-of-control lender consents. | ||||
| Commercial & property | ||||
| Material contractsRequests for material customer, supplier, partnership, distribution, and restrictive-covenant contracts, and contracts with change-of-control or anti-assignment triggers. | ||||
| Real & personal propertyRequests for owned/leased real property and material personal property, equipment leases, and title/lease documentation. | ||||
| IP & data | ||||
| Intellectual propertyRequests for patent/trademark/copyright/domain schedules, invention-assignment (PIIA) coverage, and inbound/outbound IP and technology licenses. | ||||
| Privacy & cybersecurityRequests for privacy notices, data-protection and information-security policies, processing/DPA records, incident history, and GDPR/CCPA compliance documentation. | · | · | ||
| People | ||||
| Employment, comp & benefitsRequests for employment/contractor agreements and PIIAs, benefit plans and filings, worker-classification analysis, labor matters, and severance/retention/acceleration arrangements. | ||||
| Risk & compliance | ||||
| Litigation & investigationsRequests for pending/threatened claims, settlements and consent decrees, regulator correspondence, and outside-counsel audit-response letters. | ||||
| Compliance, permits & licensesRequests for operating licenses and permits, regulatory filings and certifications, and internal compliance-program documentation. | ||||
| EnvironmentalRequests for environmental audits/site assessments, permits, and hazardous-materials or CERCLA-type liability records. | ||||
| InsuranceRequests for material insurance policies, claims history, and tail-coverage/renewal terms. Some lists give it a section; others fold it into contracts. | · | |||