Intellectual property rights, patent law, incorporation, equity distribution.... Navigating the legalities of starting a business can seem like an impossible feat, especially when one misstep could spell major trouble down the line. With an abundance of questions and limited resources, startups can’t afford to keep top legal minds on retainer for whenever an issue pops up.
Time and money are vital to a fledgling company's success, so save both with this list of legal resources especially for entrepreneurs. Note: This list is a collection, not a ranking.
Articles & Advice
- Choose Your Business Structure
- How to Work with Lawyers at a Startup
- An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Wrangling and Hog-Tying a Lawyer
- Online Legal Services: Are They Effective for Startups?
- Venture Beat's Ask An Attorney
- 10 Questions Co-Founders Should Ask Each Other
- 5 Biggest Legal Mistakes Startups Make
- 3 Things Entrepreneurs Need to Know About Patent Law Reform
- 5 Ways Not to Respond to a Cease-and-Desist Letter
- 10 Big Legal Mistakes Made by Startups
Blogs
- A View from the Valley by veteran startup lawyer Matt Bartus
- Counselor @ Law by speaker, writer, and public policy activist William Carleton
- Gust.com by a group of experienced startup founders and investors
- The High-touch Legal Services Blog for Startups by startup lawyer Dana Shultz
- Likelihood of Confusion on internet trademark and copyright infringement by lawyer Ron Coleman
- Mashtag Blawg by Bottom Line Law Group, a firm specializing in lean startups and business growth
- Startup Law 101 series of tutorials for founders and entrepreneurs
- Startup Law Blog by prominent startup and corporate transactions attorney Joe Wallin
- Technology & Marketing Law Blog, award-winning blog on internet law, intellectual property, and advertising law by law professor Eric Goldman
- Walker Corporate Law Blog by a boutique firm that specializes in representing entrepreneurs
Websites
- Entrepreneur's Legal Basics for Startups, a collection of expert articles and videos from Entrepreneur magazine
- Startup Company Lawyer answers hundreds of specific questions, from incorporation to stock options
- Startup Lawyer has articles on topics like incorporation and equity, plus a helpful glossary of terms
- Quora Term Sheet is a collection of legal resources for entrepreneurs and investors hosted on Quora
- Upcounsel is a service that matches entrepreneurs to legal professionals based on their specific needs
- Small Business and the SEC is the official SEC guide to complying with federal securities laws while raising capital
- Rocket Lawyer has a collection of sample documents and a group of on-call attorneys to answer your legal questions
- Start-Up Launchpad holds educational materials, checklists, and sample legal documents
Templates
- Docracy is an open collection of legal contracts. Document templates are free to download, customize, store, and e-sign, including a retainer agreement template for consulting services
- FormSwift Customize, sign, and download common business, legal, and personal forms, including a retainer proposal
- Series Seed Financing Documents Free, open-source legal documents for seed financing in MS Word (.DOC) format
- National Venture Capital Association's model legal documents A set of legal templates and terms
- GitHub repository Templates of Series Seed documents
- Y Combinator Financing Documents Sample forms for raising equity rounds with angel investors
- Orrick Term Sheet Creator Create drafts of startup and venture financing documents based on your responses to a series of interactive questions
- Orrick Start-Up Forms Library Key legal forms for starting and growing your company
- Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Term Sheet Generator Generate a venture financing term sheet based on your responses to an online questionnaire
Tools
- Founders Workbench Access useful tools such as: capital calculator, financing terms dictionary, service tax on professional fees consideration, intellectual property laws, and more
- Markify Searchable trademark database
- Viewabill View all billable activity by your lawyer: accruals, hours, and average rate
- Google Patent Search Use Google to search for existing patents
- US Patent & Trademark Office File a patent, register a trademark, and review intellectual property laws
Finding a Lawyer
- LawKick Find a lawyer based on price, reviews, and qualifications
- LawTrades Get matched with a lawyer at your budget, plus free consultation, price quote, client reviews, and law office profiles
- LawGives Choose from a selection of flat-fee legal services packages
- FINRA BrokerCheck Research brokers, firms, investment adviser representatives and investment adviser firms
- ShouldISign.com Post a request and receive fixed-fee proposals from vetted attorneys, and check out their bank of free legal forms
Checklists
- Start-Up Legal and Licensing To-Do List for Small Businesses
- Legal Checklist for Startups
- The Legal Checklist Every Startup Should Read
What would you add to this list?
Once you've set up your legal framework, find the tools you need to launch your business: 25 Tools to Run Your Startup.
