Business Formation & Corporate Governance

Entity formation and corporate governance for technology companies — LLC vs. C-corp choices, founder agreements, cap tables, board structure, and governance rigor that scales with growth.

Hardware Founders

Manufacturing and Supply Agreements for Hardware Startups: NRE, Tooling Ownership, MOQs, and the Clauses That Protect Your Product

Hardware founders negotiate the unit price and sign the rest. But the manufacturing agreement decides who owns the tooling you paid for, what 'conforming' means, and whether you can ever leave. A clause-by-clause guide to NRE, tooling title, MOQs, warranty, IP/anti-cloning, and your exit.

Musicians

Band Partnership Agreements & Split Sheets: The Legal Foundation Every Working Band Skips

Two or more musicians sharing in a band form a general partnership by default — equal splits, joint liability, and dissolution on exit baked in. A plain-English guide to split sheets, songwriting vs. master splits, who owns the band name, leaver provisions, and when to form an LLC.

Practice Transitions

Buying a Law Practice: What Every Attorney Acquirer Needs to Know About Due Diligence, Valuation, and Deal Structure

Thinking about buying a law practice? This guide covers the attorney-buyer's full due diligence playbook — from valuing goodwill to structuring earnouts to navigating ABA Rule 1.17's client notification requirements.

Filmmakers

Indie Filmmaker Legal Essentials: Entity Formation, Chain of Title, and Music Licensing

Most indie films hit legal roadblocks before they see a distributor. Here's how to structure your production, protect your IP, and clear the rights that matter.

Game Studios

Steam, Epic, and Itch.io: What Indie Studios Actually Agree To in Distribution Contracts

Most developers click through platform distribution agreements without reading them. Steam's 70/30 cut is the detail everyone knows. The unilateral amendment clause, MFN provision, and Valve's right to delist your game are what matter when something goes wrong.

Game Studios

Indie Studio Formation and IP: Structuring Your Game Company from Day One

Most indie studios ship their first game before signing a single IP assignment agreement — and discover the problem during publisher due diligence. Here's the legal checklist: entity choice, IP assignment, trademarks, contractor agreements, and exit readiness.

Startup Central

Legal Planning for First-Time Founders in Their 30s and 40s

If you're starting your first company in your 30s or 40s, you're often bringing real career leverage"10+ years of skills, network, and credibility"1and…

Startup Central

Broad-Based Weighted Average (BBWA) Anti-Dilution for Startups: Formula, Examples, and Legal Checklist

Broad-based weighted average (BBWA) anti-dilution is a common compromise term in venture financings: it protects preferred stock investors if the…

Startup Central

Cap Table Essentials: What Every Startup Needs to Track for Clean Equity Records

A clean cap table is more than a spreadsheet that “adds up.” It’s the single source of truth tying your company’s ownership to the documents that…

Startup Central

Why fully diluted shares can make or break your equity decisions

Most equity confusion starts with a simple denominator problem: founders and early employees look at issued (or even just outstanding ) shares and…

Business Formation & Corporate Governance

How Cap Tables Work: A Strategic Guide for Founders and Counsel

A capitalization table (or “cap table”) is the living record of who owns your company and how they own it — founders, employees, advisors, and…

Startup Central

4-Year Vesting With a 1-Year Cliff Explained: A Practical Guide for Founders and Employees

In startups, equity is often a core part of compensation — sometimes the main “upside” when cash is tight.

Startup Central

Understanding 4-Year Vesting with a 1-Year Cliff: A Complete Guide

Vesting is the process of “earning” equity over time. In the common 4-year vesting with a 1-year cliff pattern, you don’t earn anything until you hit…

Startup Central

Why Legal Oversight of Your Startup Cap Table Is Non-Negotiable

Early-stage teams often treat the cap table as “whatever’s in Carta” or a living spreadsheet.

Startup Central

Building and Managing a Clean Cap Table: A Complete Founder's Guide

A capitalization table ("cap table") is simply a running record of who owns your company and what they own — founder shares, employee equity, and…

Business Formation & Corporate Governance

Legal Compliance and Strategic Stock Issuance for Startups: A Practical Guide

Issuing stock is one of the first consequential legal and financial decisions a startup makes.

Game Studios

Indie Game Studio Formation and IP Basics: What Every Dev Needs to Know

Entity formation, IP ownership, copyright registration, and trademark protection — the legal fundamentals every indie game studio needs before shipping.

Business Formation & Corporate Governance

Startup Stock Issuance: A Practical Guide to Equity Operations and Compliance

For most startups, equity isn't a one-time legal event — it's the operating system you use to pay people, keep teams aligned, and raise capital.

Startup Central

Reading the Actual 506(c) Checklist: What "Accredited Investor Verification" Costs You in Time, Fees, and Deal Risk

Most founders treat 506(c) as a permissioned version of 506(b). It is not — it is a separate statutory creation with its own verification burden. The checklist: four safe-harbor methods, what each costs, and what the March 2025 SEC no-action letter changed.

Business Formation & Corporate Governance

How Much Does It Cost to Start a Company? A Founder's Guide to Startup Legal Fees

Most founders budget for product and marketing but leave legal out entirely. Here's what it actually costs to start a company: state filing fees, attorney formation packages, registered agent costs, and the first-year expenses that catch startups off guard.

Business Formation & Corporate Governance

EIN vs. Tax ID: What's the Difference?

A tax ID is an umbrella term for any taxpayer identification number. An EIN is one specific type, issued by the IRS to businesses. Here is what each identifier means, which one your business needs, and how to apply at no cost.

Business Formation & Corporate Governance

Why Legal Expertise Is Critical for Accurate Cap Tables at Startups

A capitalization table (or cap table ) is the record of who owns what in your startup.

Business Formation & Corporate Governance

409A Valuation Explained: What Startups Need to Know

A 409A valuation is a formal appraisal of your common stock fair market value, required before issuing equity to employees or advisors. Here is how it works, what it costs, and when a refresh is required.

Business Formation & Corporate Governance

Public Benefit Corporation vs. Nonprofit: Which Structure Fits Your Mission?

Public benefit corporation, nonprofit, B Corp, mutual benefit corp — four structures with very different rules. Here's how each works and how to pick the right one for your mission.

Regulatory Compliance & Legal Risk Management

Horizontal Merger Review in 2026: What Changed When the 2023 Guidelines Met Three Years of Real Enforcement

Horizontal merger review is three regimes, not one — Clayton Act § 7, HSR premerger notification, and the 2023 Merger Guidelines. What changed, what the Kroger and Tapestry opinions actually revealed, and how HHI math and HSR timing work in 2026.