Contract lawyers for start-ups
The agreements you sign in year one decide who owns what in year five. They are also the ones founders most often skip.
We work with a range of start-up models, from seasoned entrepreneurs out of corporate backgrounds through to university spin-outs and student enterprises.
Specialist advice is most urgently needed exactly when money is scarcest. The biggest mistake most founders make is not engaging legal support at all — which frequently derails the venture before it commences operations, usually over something that would have cost very little to get right at the start.
Where founders get hurt
The agreements that decide ownership
Between the founders
Who owns what, what happens if someone leaves in month eight, and who keeps the IP they wrote before incorporation.
- Co-founder agreement
- Shareholder agreement
- Articles of association
- Directors’ service agreements
- Vesting and leaver provisions
- IP assignment from founders
Raising money
Investor paperwork commits you to obligations that outlast the cheque. It is worth understanding them before you sign.
- Term sheet review
- Share subscription agreement
- Investment agreement
- Deed of adherence
- SEIS and EIS documentation
- Convertible instruments
Selling to customers
Your first enterprise customer will send you their terms. Those terms are written for them.
- Terms and conditions
- Software and SaaS agreements
- Service level agreements
- Website and e-commerce terms
- Privacy and cookie policies
- Data processing agreements
Building the team
Employment and consultancy contracts decide whether the work your people produce belongs to the company.
- Employment contracts
- Consultant and freelancer agreements
- Staff handbook
- NDAs
- IP and confidentiality clauses
- Settlement agreements
Fixed fees wherever we can
Wherever possible we work to a fixed fee, giving you certainty over legal cost alongside reasonable and flexible payment arrangements, so the business can grow through its start-up and scale-up phases without legal spend becoming unpredictable.
For founders with a steady flow of contracts, our start-up packages carry reduced hourly rates — from £225 an hour, falling to £120 on the Gold package.
Trusted contract advice
Our consultants are qualified solicitors for England and Wales with substantial commercial and corporate experience. Because contracts are the only thing we do, you are not paying for a generalist to get up to speed on your agreement.