The first thing your lawyer will help you with is the incorporation of your business. There are several legal entities that your business can choose to take, so it is vital to understand the pros and cons of each and to pick the one that will work best for your business type and industry. Again, your lawyer should have the legal experience to assist you in this.

Once you have picked the correct entity for your business, your lawyer will go ahead with the incorporation process, filling out and filing the proper paperwork with the appropriate authorities to make your business legitimate in the eyes of the law.

Beyond the incorporation of the business, many legal documents, contracts and agreements will need to be drafted in the early stages of your startup, including shareholders agreements, lease agreements, employment contracts, privacy policies, and service contracts.

With their knowledge of startup and corporate law, your lawyer will understand how to approach each of these documents in a way that protects your company and remains legal. Not only will a good lawyer be able to draw up the proper contract, they may also have the experience to keep your company safe from predatory investors.

Building a team that will bring your vision to life is a key part of building a business. This can be a difficult stage if you do not have much capital to begin with. Still, it is important to find the right people if you want to give your business the best chance of getting off the ground as well as the proper safeguards in place to protect your intellectual property.

Your startup lawyer can draft employment agreements, confidentiality agreements with non-compete clauses, non-disclosure agreements, and more. You will also need to consider severance packages and other employment-related paperwork.

Depending on the nature of your business, there is a broad range of formalities that you may need to observe. These can include licensing, lease, joint ventures agreements, and more. Your lawyer will guide you through the process, review the papers and provide legal advice to ensure that all the agreements you sign are mutually beneficial.

We understand that small decisions you make in the beginning can have profound impacts on your business down the line. Therefore, your lawyer should provide pragmatic advice and expert guidance to help you plan for the future. Perhaps you hope to franchise your business in the future or sell it for a large sum. Your lawyer should start planning now and put safeguards in place so you can realize your future goals.

Many startups don’t have much capital to begin with, so a common approach to attract a quality team is to offer stock options to early employees. A lawyer who specialises in start up law understands how to draft these complicated documents and often what amount of stocks is a reasonable offering.