A business attorney can help you determine your startup’s legal entity. It can also help you comply with FDA, environmental, zoning, and pharmaceutical regulations.
Emerging companies face many complicated and intricate legal issues.
Intellectual Property Rights
The heart of many startups is an innovative idea or invention. A lawyer can help protect this intellectual property by drafting confidentiality agreements and filing patent applications. This should be done as soon as possible because publicly revealed ideas lose their patentability in the United States and most other countries within one year.
Business attorneys can also assist with various legal issues a startup might face, such as employment disputes, drafting contracts with vendors and customers, navigating industry regulations, and threatened litigation. Whether it’s an IRS audit or a disagreement with a minority shareholder, business lawyers can handle the problem strategically and minimize risk and costs.
The best way to prepare for the legal challenges of starting a new company is to start working with a Denver business attorney early. A startup lawyer can help you decide on a business structure appropriate for your company, goals, and finances and determine what paperwork and regulations you must comply with.
Incorporation
Business attorneys can help startups select the ideal business structure. They can also help entrepreneurs understand how to comply with local and state laws regarding business transactions. They can also advise about employment agreements and intellectual property protection. They can also assist with investor relations. Failing to comply with securities laws can expose a startup to hefty penalties and cut it off from potential capital sources.
The firm a startup chooses should be flexible about the way it charges for legal services. For example, it should offer hourly and flat-fee packages. It should also be willing to take on part-time attorneys. This enables startups to retain legal counsel while managing their costs.
It is also crucial for a startup to have attorneys who understand the technology industry. These lawyers can help clients understand the intricacies of the law and avoid costly mistakes. They can also guide you on the latest legal issues in the tech industry.
Partnership Agreements
Incorporating your company establishes a legal barrier between you and the firm, potentially insulating you from culpability for the company’s debts and other responsibilities. A lawyer can help you determine the best structure for your business based on your finances, plans, and goals.
A partnership agreement (or operating agreement, depending on the type of entity) must address various matters, including contributions to the partnership and percentage ownership stakes; how profits, losses, and draws are distributed; and a process for resolving disputes between partners. The contract should also specify whether a partner can enter into agreements on the partnership’s behalf or tie the company to business choices and agreements.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new business and overlook the need for careful consideration of legalities. However, ignoring them could prove difficult. Investors are more likely to fund companies that demonstrate transparency, adherence to laws, and a clear vision.
Regulations
Business attorneys can help startups understand and navigate the laws governing their business operations, including FDA, environmental, zoning, and pharmaceutical regulations. They can also advise on compliance with these regulations to prevent costly lawsuits and fines for noncompliance.
Startups often have slow times when establishing themselves and growing revenue and peak times when demand for their product or service increases rapidly. They need a lawyer to provide legal services during both situations, with the required attention and focus.
Having a business attorney at the outset of your startup can save you time, money, and stress in the long run.