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Startup Counseling

Startups have very particular legal needs. From choice of legal entity and formation issues, jurisdiction questions, and founder agreements, to executive employment agreements, seed financing, and initial intellectual property protection strategies, our transactions and litigation teams have wide experience working with startups across the broad range of legal issues startups must immediately confront.

Peace of Mind in a Tumultuous Market

Our transactions team has experience structuring startups and helping with their seed and early-stage financing transactions since the early 1990s. We have participated in numerous pitch events, startup bootcamps, and angel investor summits, and our team has structured accelerators, early-stage investment funds, and numerous startups. We meet regularly with entrepreneurs and early-stage investors to help review initial startup structure and to provide further input and advice on entity structure, founder agreements, and cap tables.

Flat-Fee Business Setup and Support

We assist with legal organization and initial founder equity matters for a preferred flat-fee price. This price includes:

  • Advice regarding form of legal entity;
  • Reparation and filing of articles of incorporation, bylaws and other initial formation materials;
  • Preparing founders stock agreements and intellectual property assignments;
  • Advising on initial corporate tax matters; and
  • Review and implementation of intellectual property protection plans and strategic advice on IP issues.
Intellectual Property, Fundraising, and Expansion

We also offer flat fees for select intellectual property issues relevant to startups. This can include trademark search and initial applications for registration, copyright compliance review, domain name protection and dispute resolution, privacy review and compliance, and initial consultation on patent issues (referral to patent prosecution attorneys as needed).

We frequently review proposals and financing opportunities as part of our initial input and consultation process. We assist companies with negotiating and closing angel, venture and other early and later-stage financing transactions at our standard hourly rates or at negotiated flat fee rates. These may include angel investor convertible debt or other non-stock early-stage financings, venture preferred stock financings, strategic investor transactions, and debt transactions.

We offer complimentary initial review and preferred pricing to referred businesses and entrepreneurs in connection with business formation, legal issues around ramping up and building the team, intellectual property protection, strategic relationships, and financing.