✅ Our Startup Legal Services Include:
Whether you’re at the idea stage or scaling fast, our startup legal services are built to grow with you.
Entity Formation and Corporate Structuring
The choice of entity type, jurisdiction of formation, and corporate governance structure has downstream consequences for taxation, liability, fundraising, and eventual exit. We advise founders on the tradeoffs between LLCs, C-Corps, S-Corps, and benefit corporations. For most venture-backed startups, Delaware C-Corp formation is the standard — but the reasons for that choice matter, and deviations from the standard can make sense depending on your circumstances.
Our formation work includes articles of incorporation or organization, bylaws or operating agreements, initial board and officer resolutions, EIN applications, founder stock issuances, and 83(b) election filings. We also set up your cap table correctly from day one, because a messy cap table is one of the most common sources of friction during fundraising diligence.
Fundraising and Securities Compliance
Raising capital — whether from angel investors, venture capital firms, or through crowdfunding — is a securities law matter. Every time you sell equity or convertible instruments, you are issuing securities, and federal and state securities laws apply. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in rescission rights for investors, SEC enforcement, and state regulatory action.
FinTech Law advises startups on capital raising structures including SAFEs (Simple Agreements for Future Equity), convertible notes, priced equity rounds (Series Seed, Series A, and beyond), and Regulation D private placements. We draft and review term sheets, stock purchase agreements, investor rights agreements, voting agreements, and right of first refusal and co-sale agreements. For companies considering Regulation A+ offerings, Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), or Regulation D Rule 506(c) general solicitation, we advise on the specific requirements and limitations of each exemption.
Bo Howell's background as a securities lawyer and former SEC Division of Investment Management attorney ensures that your fundraising documentation meets regulatory requirements — not just investor expectations.
Intellectual Property Strategy
For technology and fintech startups, intellectual property is often the company's most valuable asset. We help founders implement IP protection strategies from day one, including trademark searches and registrations with the USPTO, copyright registration for software and creative works, trade secret protection programs, and patent strategy evaluation.
Equally important is making sure your company actually owns its IP. We draft and review invention assignment agreements, contractor IP assignment provisions, and employment agreements with appropriate IP clauses. Startups that fail to secure clean IP ownership from founders, employees, and contractors create diligence problems that can delay or derail fundraising. See our intellectual property legal services for more detail on our IP practice.
Regulatory Compliance for Fintech Startups
Fintech startups face regulatory requirements that traditional technology companies do not. Depending on your product and business model, you may need to navigate SEC registration requirements, state money transmitter licensing, banking regulations, consumer lending laws, or data privacy obligations. The regulatory landscape is complex and changes frequently — particularly for companies operating at the intersection of technology and financial services.
FinTech Law's deep expertise in SEC compliance, digital assets regulation, and financial technology means we can help fintech founders understand their regulatory exposure early and build compliance into their product roadmap rather than retrofitting it after launch.
Ongoing General Counsel
Most early-stage startups don't need (and can't afford) a full-time general counsel. But they still need responsive legal advice on the contracts, employment questions, regulatory questions, and corporate governance matters that arise regularly. FinTech Law serves as outside general counsel to startup clients, providing ongoing legal support on a flexible basis that scales with your company's needs.
Our general counsel services include commercial contract review and negotiation, vendor and partner agreements, employment and contractor matters, privacy policies and terms of service, board governance, and equity compensation planning (stock option plans, restricted stock grants, and vesting schedules).
