If I were in that position I'd markup the contract sections that I was concerned with and send it to my HR contact. Some will be happy to accept changes, some w

If I were in that position I'd markup the contract sections that I was concerned with and send it to my HR contact. Some will be happy to accept changes, some will negotiate the terms, and some will say "standard contract or no contract". I can't imagine any HR person ending the relationship just because you ask. At that point, it's really up to you to weigh the specifics of the offer and the drawbacks of any contract terms they won't budge on. Hiring is fairly expensive, and if you've gotten to the point where you've got an offer along with a contract you're fairly far into the process. You don't have a ton of leverage, but you definitely have more than 0 leverage.