by Traverse Legal, reviewed by Brian Hall - January 25, 2018 - Business Law, Outside General Counsel Law
Whether a first time startup, repeat founder onto the next venture or an operational business trying to get your “legal house” in order, a simple legal checklist is always helpful. There are lots of samples available, but here is a practical one that can help guide you, and your lawyer, as you begin and hopefully prosper.
Entity Formation/Initial Set-up
–Form entity (corporation, LLC, partnership, etc.)
–Anticipated financing path (amount needed, growth anticipated, multiple financing rounds)
–Rights of Founder(s) (vesting?)
–Equity compensation for employees/consultants/advisors (vesting and repurchase rights)
–Involve CPA/tax advisor early
Financing
–Convertible Note
–Convertible Preferred Stock (Series Seed, Series A, B, C, etc.)
–Others (SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity), Debt)
Practical Considerations of Financing
–How much will you need?
–Disclosure
–Finders
–Organization
Contracts/Agreements
–Employment/Independent Contractor/Advisor Agreements (work for hire)
–Non-Disclosure/Non-Circumvention/Non-Use
–Website Agreements (Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Copyright Policy, Disclaimers)
Trademark
–Protect your house mark and brands
–Trademark Availability Assessment/Clearance
–Register domain names (Defensive registrations)
–Social Media, including online reputation management
Copyrights
–Personal ownership of IP versus ownership by entity (licensing issues)
Patents and Trade Secrets
–Assess opportunities and risks
📚 Get AI-powered insights from this content:
Brian A. Hall is the Managing Partner of Traverse Legal and a trusted deal attorney to founders, investors, and high-growth companies. He guides clients through mergers, acquisitions, IP monetization, and mission-critical commercial disputes across the tech, consumer products, and services sectors. Drawing on in-house GC experience and his fixed-fee TraverseGC® model, Brian delivers practical, business-first legal strategies that protect assets and accelerate growth.
As a founding partner of Traverse Legal, PLC, he has more than thirty years of experience as an attorney for both established companies and emerging start-ups. His extensive experience includes navigating technology law matters and complex litigation throughout the United States.
We’re here to field your questions and concerns. If you are a company able to pay a reasonable legal fee each month, please contact us today.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Enrico Schaefer, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a practicing Business, IP, and Technology Law litigation attorney.
