TAG: Lawyers
Ip Lawyers and Ethics
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2011-07-29
Tags: Lawyers IP
Do Top 5 Law Firms Unethically Collect Proprietary Information?
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2011-04-14
Tags: Lawyers
Experience with Law Pivot.Com
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2011-02-17
Tags: Legal Lawyers
Lawyer Engagement Letter Key Items?
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2011-02-15
Tags: Lawyers
Need Recommendations for Founder Friendly Lawyers
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2010-06-02
Tags: Operations Recommendations Lawyers
Need Pointers to Good Startup Law Firm
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2009-09-23
Tags: Operations Lawyers Rates
In Demand: Free Early Stage Start Up Legal Library
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by KipMcC on 2009-08-28
Tags: Operations Lawyers NDA Legal Incorporating Agreements
The next time you talk to your law firm, let them know they should pioneer (be the first, take credit) the following concept:
Early-stage, cash-efficient start-ups increasingly require an equally efficient supply chain in order to make it work. Take for example Capital Factory, Y-combinator or even micro-style investments from more traditional VCs. A start-up raising $20k – $250k simply cant afford traditional legal costs associated with:
* incorporating,
* equity and option plans,
* option grants,
* convertible debt agreements,
* all docs associated with being INITIALLY funded (term sheets, standardized series-A docs),
* NDAs,
* separation agreements and release paperwork,
* contractor agreements, and so on.
I propose the following: forward-thinking law firms should create a FREE legal library that includes AT LEAST the items listed above. The should GIVE this library to start-ups that agree to become clients after a funding event of a particular size…maybe $250k or more. To be clear: I’m suggesting that law firms loss-lead with this free legal library and win clients that may become the next Google (or, realistically, may also go out of business). It’s time for the supply chain to evolve. we're starting to see some standardization of termsheets...now let's continue the thought.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyGood Trademark Agent in Sf Bay Area?
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2009-07-09
Tags: Operations Trademarks Lawyers
How Much Equity to Give an Attorney in a Startup ?
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2009-06-22
Tags: Operations Lawyers Equity
Can Anyone Recommend an Attorney in the Dallas Area?
TheFunded.com Discussion
Posted by Anonymous on 2009-06-13
Tags: Operations Lawyers
Legal and Tax Implications of Founders' Equity Splits
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by fnazeeri on 2009-04-06
Tags: Operations Lawyers Taxes
Great post from Prof. Noam Wasserman at HBS on the legal and tax issues of splitting equity.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyThe Inlaw Conflict
TheFunded.com Advice
Posted by RichieBlueEyes on 2009-03-28
Tags: Operations Lawyers
This is a repost from a blog that is going live on Monday morning on Bootstrapper.com, I figured I would post it here first...
So today's post is about a topic near and to everyone in our community, The "inlaws". By that I mean the inherent conflict of interest that tends to occur within the legal community in relation to the venture community. I've gotten to know a number of lawyers in the community quite well over the last few years and have a lot of respect for them and are friends with a number of lawyers, however it is a small community and an interesting thing that occurs is that the same law firm can and often does represent both sides in a transaction (either directly or indirectly). What do I mean? Well, a law firm can represent a fund in one deal and the entrepreneur in another and both be going on simultaneously. It creates a confusing situation.
Outside of the venture sphere, the situation could be seen as a conflict of interest but given our world, it is standard practice. Often times the lawyer may be the one that introduced the company to the investor which is great for both parties but further complicates the question of representation.
The founding member of The Funded always likes to say that the lawyers work for the fund not for you and that the second $ is closed, it is no longer your counsel.
Given that the fund represents (generally) infinitely more business than a single entrepreneur, there is a point in there. On a technical level corporate counsel represent the controlling shareholder or bloc of shareholders but on a practical level it's something to think about.
Overall, it's usually good to have a venture law firm for your company because they do tend to know how to raise money and the process, however it may make sense to have a personal counsel review everything for how it looks from your perspective as the entrepreneur because you want someone looking at your docs that is representing you personally, not your company.
To conclude: Cover Your Ass no matter what you do - I've been screwed out of vesting and know many entrepreneurs who have as well. Protect yourself and make sure you have protections in place.
PRIVATE: Members Only