The Startup Legal Stack
Pre-Seed to Launch
Get your legal foundation right from day one. Delaware C-Corp, founder agreements, and the documents you need to start building.
Learn moreThe standard structure for VC-backed startups
Equity splits, vesting schedules, IP assignment
Critical tax filing for restricted stock
Clean ownership records from the start
Protect IP when working with contractors
Compliance basics for launch
Seed through Series
Raise capital with confidence. Your lawyer knows what's market, what's negotiable, and how to protect founder interests while closing your round.
Learn morePost-money SAFEs, side letters, pro rata rights
Structured debt instruments for bridge rounds
Understand and negotiate investor terms
SPA, IRA, ROFR, Voting Agreement
Organize your data room, anticipate questions
Governance structure and director duties
Scale with Confidence
As you scale, legal complexity grows. Customer contracts, employment, IP protection, and governance that supports growth.
Learn moreSaaS agreements, enterprise deals, API terms
Offer letters, option grants, compensation
409A valuations, grant management
Cloud services, tools, strategic partnerships
Trademarks, patents, trade secrets
Board meetings, consents, compliance
M&A, Acquisition, IPO
When considering an exit, your lawyer helps prepare for due diligence, assess transaction terms, and negotiate around your priorities.
Learn morePosition your company for acquisition
Sell-side counsel through closing
Buyer requests, data rooms, disclosure
Negotiate terms that protect your interests
Performance-based consideration that works
Founder and employee liquidity
Why Founders Choose Us
A focused review of SAFE terms can help founders understand dilution, investor rights, and decisions that will shape later rounds.
Your lawyer reviews term sheets for ownership, control, and future financing implications, then identifies provisions worth negotiating.
Your lawyer explains how vesting, control, and investor rights affect founders before terms are agreed.
Counsel can prioritize immediate formation and financing decisions while planning for governance needs as the company grows.
How It Works
Share details about your company, stage, and what you're trying to accomplish. The team identifies the legal work that matters now versus later.
30-45 minutesClear, fixed-fee pricing is provided for defined work. No hourly surprises. You know exactly what you're getting and what it costs.
Same dayDocuments are prepared and delivered through your MyRelevant portal. Clean, organized, accessible anytime.
Varies by scopeQuick questions, document reviews, and strategic counsel as your company grows.
OngoingStartup FAQ
Delaware offers predictable corporate law, a specialized business court (Chancery), and structures that VCs and their lawyers know well. C-Corp status allows for preferred stock, which is how VCs structure their investments. If you're raising institutional capital, Delaware C-Corp is the standard.
SAFEs (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) are not debt. They convert to equity at your next priced round based on a valuation cap or discount. Convertible notes are debt instruments with interest and maturity dates. Post-money SAFEs are now the standard for most seed rounds because they're simpler and founders know exactly how much dilution they're taking.
Four-year vesting with a one-year cliff is standard. This means founders earn 25% of their equity after one year, then the rest monthly over the following three years. Investors expect this because it ensures founders are committed long-term. If you've been working on the company pre-funding, you can negotiate credit for time already served.
When you receive restricted stock (stock subject to vesting), you can file an 83(b) election within 30 days to pay taxes on the stock's value at grant, not at vesting. For early founders, this often means paying tax on nearly zero value. Without it, you pay tax on much higher values as stock vests. Missing this deadline can cost hundreds of thousands in taxes.
Templates work for standard documents at early stages. Incorporation, basic NDAs, simple contractor agreements. But anything involving equity, fundraising, co-founders, or significant contracts deserves legal review. The cost of getting a SAFE wrong or missing a founder agreement issue is orders of magnitude higher than lawyer fees.
Key terms include valuation (pre or post-money), investment amount, liquidation preference, anti-dilution protection, board composition, protective provisions, and pro rata rights. Your lawyer helps you understand which terms are standard, which favor investors, and where you have negotiating room.
Option pools typically range from 10-20% of fully diluted shares, established before a financing round. The pool dilutes existing shareholders, so it's effectively part of the deal negotiation. You'll need a stock incentive plan, board approval, and ideally a 409A valuation before granting options.
A 409A valuation is an independent appraisal of your company's common stock fair market value, required to grant stock options at a defensible strike price. Without one, option recipients risk significant tax penalties. Your lawyer can recommend 409A providers and help you understand timing requirements.
Fixed-fee packages are available for common startup needs: formation, SAFE reviews, employment agreements. For ongoing work, retainers are structured to give you predictable costs and access when you need it. The proposed scope and fee are discussed before work begins.
The focus is on legal matters, not fundraising advisory. But lawyers work closely with founders throughout raises and can recommend accelerators, advisors, and resources that help with the non-legal side of fundraising.
Conversation preparation
Gather your formation, ownership, contract, and intellectual-property questions. The Client Intake Team can help identify the appropriate practice.
Open the Planning GuideA lawyer conversation, prepared
Preparation prompts, not legal advice
Whether you're just forming or preparing for a raise, your lawyer will help you understand what you need now and what can wait. No pressure, just a conversation about where you are.