- When should a startup bring in corporate counsel?
- Before you issue equity. Cap table and founder-agreement mistakes are the most expensive ones to unwind later, and they surface at exactly the wrong moment — during a raise or an acquisition.
- Do you work on a fixed fee?
- Yes for well-defined work such as formations, standard financings, and governance packages. Transactional matters are usually scoped in phases so you always know the next commitment before it starts.
- Can you act as our ongoing general counsel?
- We offer a monthly retainer that covers day-to-day questions, contract review, and board support, with transactional work quoted separately.
- What documents do you need to start a company formation?
- Proof of identity and address for each founder and director, the proposed company name, the registered address, and how the shares will be split. With those in hand a straightforward formation completes within a few business days.
- How do you handle due diligence on an acquisition?
- We run a structured review of corporate records, contracts, employment, IP, property, and litigation, then report by exception — you get the issues that affect price, warranties, or completion, not a summary of every document.
- What is the difference between a share sale and an asset sale?
- In a share sale the buyer takes the company with all its history and liabilities; in an asset sale they pick specific assets and contracts. The choice drives tax treatment, consents needed, and how heavily the warranties are negotiated.
- Do we need a shareholders' agreement if we have articles?
- Usually yes. Articles are public and deliberately general; a shareholders' agreement is private and sets out decision rights, deadlock resolution, transfer restrictions, and exit mechanics in the detail founders actually argue about.
- Can you help us prepare for an investor's due diligence?
- Yes. We run a pre-raise health check on the cap table, board minutes, IP assignments, and key contracts, and clear the gaps before a data room opens — which is far cheaper than fixing them mid-round.
