By Fernando Berrocal

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In the early stages of any startup's life, having a startup lawyer can be key to helping your business stay afloat. The founders must spend all of their time and efforts on refining their products and/or services and getting them out to their target customers as soon as possible. It's also critical to get your business up and operating as soon as possible. However, if this is your first time, you may feel completely out of your position when it comes to the legal repercussions and compliance concerns that may develop. 

By directly consulting what startup lawyers will contribute to the launch of your startup, you can leave these difficult matters to the professionals. If you're wondering what a startup lawyer can do for you, your questions will be answered in the following paragraphs.

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Incorporation: Firstly, it's important to incorporate your business to generate a legal separation between the individual entrepreneur(s) and the startup business to avoid any personal liability for the debts of the business. Based on your finances, objectives, and final goals, startup lawyers can help determine which structure is the best for you. Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), and Corporation are typical types of business structures.

Partnership Agreements: A "Partnership Agreement", which is an operational agreement, is required if your startup business has more than one founder. This agreement helps you to avoid future confrontations: profit sharing, equity divides, decision-making, and responsibility division are just a few examples of possible complications. The proper startup lawyer can assist you in finding the best options for your startup.

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Keeping Your Ideas Protected: What would your startup look like if you didn't have ownership of your unique invention? With legal protection in place, you can protect the heart and spirit of your business. For example, “Intellectual Property" (IP) lawyers who specialize in startups can assist you in filing essential patent applications. Get this down early in your organization's life cycle because publicly announced inventions in the United States lose their patentability after one year, and they lose it immediately in other parts of the world. By hiring a startup lawyer to protect your ideas, you can prevent your competition from taking them.

Following Regulations:  A variety of restrictions may apply to your startup, many of which have a direct impact on your business. You must be aware of these restrictions to avoid legal trouble. An expert startup lawyer can help you figure out which requirements to follow and how to avoid fines from all potential stakeholders.

Documents on the Internet and Data Privacy Concerns: If any part of your business requires the use of a website, you should contact a startup lawyer as soon as possible to assist you in putting user agreements in place. These agreements spell out the user code of behavior, the website's warranty limitations, and the website's disclaimer of liability for any links to third-party websites.

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Most will also include a privacy policy that explains how your startup collects, processes, keeps, and distributes data. In the business world, data security and compromised data storage have been hot subjects, causing a lot of anxiety among clients.

Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): Compliance with state and federal securities regulations is required as soon as your startup begins issuing shares. The issuance of equity instruments to founders, seed investors, venture capitalists, or even stock options is usually required to be registered with the appropriate securities authorities.

Make no mistake, securities regulations are quite complicated, and understanding exactly what you are required to do will necessitate the assistance of a skilled lawyer rather than a few Google searches. These are just a few of the usual business circumstances in which a startup lawyer may assist you. However, you now have a solid grasp of the fundamentals.

Ready to bring your startup to the next level? Apply to MassLight’s next batch. MassLight supplies capital and a dedicated tech team. We take equity in return. Have questions? Refer to our FAQ page.

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