Denver Startup Lawyer Serving Colorado

When starting a business, founders and partners must agree regarding vision, values, responsibilities, and equity ownership. Early on, misalignments can hamper decision-making, spark conflicts, and even tank the startup.

We help founders and partners proactively get aligned and document agreements around:

• Shared mission, vision, values
• Division of roles, responsibilities, and work ownership
• Decision-making and conflict-resolution processes
• Equity split breakdown and vesting schedules
• Future funding, exit strategy, leadership additions

By facilitating open conversations and drafting agreements upfront, we aim to set up founders for forward momentum, accountable relationships, and startup success. This prevents avoidable disputes down the road as the business grows and changes.

When starting a business, founders must choose and formally create the correct legal structure or entity—an LLC, corporation, partnership, or hybrid. This establishes limited liability protections, tax implications, ownership parameters, and more.

We help clients:

• Assess the pros and cons of LLCs, S-corps, C-corps, and alternatives for their specific situation
• File formation documents that align with their state jurisdiction
• Handle required registrations like taxes, licenses, and permits
• Outline entity operating rules and governance in an Operating Agreement
• Account for future developments like adding investors or new partners

Making key structural and governance decisions upfront results in greater founder protections, optimized fundraising potential, and prevented Operating Agreement disputes down the road as the company scales. 

We enable you to incorporate and organize for success from day one.

Once an entity is formed, ongoing compliance filings and document upkeep are needed to maintain proper corporate status, legal protections, and eligibility for funding. This includes formal resolutions, share issuances, director appointments, amendments, and more.

We help startups:

• Know exactly which documents must be filed at major funding rounds
• File the correct forms and resolutions to enact major corporate changes
• Maintain thorough records of share ownership and capitalization tables
• Handle all appropriate filings and documentation for annual meetings
• Remain compliant with state and federal corporate laws

By overseeing the full spectrum of continuing filings and documentation, we enable startups to keep accurate records, prevent lapses in compliance, execute growth milestones smoothly, and substantiate company progress for future investors. 

This gives founders peace of mind and flexibility to focus on business growth.

As startups scale, it’s essential to establish company-wide policies, documented processes, governance frameworks, and compliance controls.

Lacking these opens the door to inconsistencies, legal issues, and founders losing directional control.

We help founders:

• Audit business workflows to identify policy gaps
• Create HR policies like employment contracts, equity incentives, IP ownership
• Formalize processes for financial tracking, document controls, and auditing
• Establish boards, committees, and officer positions to maintain organizational integrity
• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance across operations and jurisdictions

Instituting foundational policies, procedures, and governance systems enables startups to promote consistency, reduce risk, improve access to financing, and support future rapid growth.

We empower founders to implement scalable frameworks tailored to their strategic vision early on.

Many startups require special licensing, permits, and regulatory approvals to operate legally within their jurisdictions and industries. Overlooking these obligations can put key activities on shaky legal ground.

We assist startups to:

• Identify all necessary permits, licenses, and regulatory obligations
• Compile and submit accurate applications promptly
• Liaise with regulatory bodies during review and inspection processes
• Ensure ongoing compliance through appropriate policies and processes

Securing the right upfront licensing prevents work stoppages or fines down the road.

We enable startups to establish compliant operations early so founders can confidently move forward with regulated activities like manufacturing, retail, professional services, and more without legal risk or delays hampering progress.

Safeguarding innovations and IP is vital for startups to achieve competitive advantage and maximize value. Without protections, others can easily copy unique products, services, and proprietary processes.

We help startups:

• Identify confidential trade secrets to establish access controls
• Assess the patentability of inventions and file strong applications
• Register trademarks and copyrights covering distinguishable IP assets
• Institute policies and agreements formalizing IP ownership
• Develop an overall strategy balancing protection costs with the pursuit of infringers

By obtaining key patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secret protection early on, we empower startups to progress R&D securely, enter new markets, and attract investors with decreased risk of IP loss, siphoning away competitive edge or enabling knock-offs.

We assist startups to:

• Identify all necessary permits, licenses, and regulatory obligations
• Compile and submit accurate applications promptly
• Liaise with regulatory bodies during review and inspection processes
• Ensure ongoing compliance through appropriate policies and processes

Securing the right upfront licensing prevents work stoppages or fines down the road.

We enable startups to establish compliant operations early so founders can confidently move forward with regulated activities like manufacturing, retail, professional services, and more without legal risk or delays hampering progress.

Raising startup funding involves negotiating and executing many complex legal contracts with investors. Failing to capture the right deal terms can hamper financial returns or cost founders ownership and control.

We help founders:

• Analyze business projections to set fundraising goals and terms
• Structure agreements balancing control, liquidation preferences, and other investor rights
• Navigate disclosures, representations, and warranties investors will rely on
• Establish investor vesting schedules, redemption plans, and next-round commitments
• Ensure definitive agreements align with previously marketed deal terms

With intricate legal and financial interests at play, we bring startup fundraising deals across the finish line while optimizing structure for founders’ long-term governance and growth goals long-term. Our execution helps startups raise capital without relinquishing more equity or control than necessary.

Startups often leverage independent contractors for specialized skills and flexible capacity. Business-contractor relationships can expose startups to tax liabilities, IP disputes, compliance risks, and other headaches without clear contractual terms.

We help founders:

• Classify workers appropriately as contractors vs employees
• Draft customized agreements covering scope, payment terms, and obligations
• Institute policies to own IP created, maintain confidentiality
• Reduce tax, benefit plan, and discrimination liability exposure
• Build protective termination and assignment provisions

By proactively structuring agreements tailored to unique startup needs, we empower early-stage businesses to efficiently tap specialized talent without undermining progress later on due to preventable independent contractor issues.

Safeguarding confidential information and competitive advantage is imperative for startups exploring partnerships, hiring contractors, and funding.

Without sufficient protections, sensitive data or know-how can leak – enabling competitors or exposing legal liability.

We help startups:

• Institute NDAs with contractors, partners, and staff with any insider access
• Structure non-competes focusing only on legitimately protectable interests
• Implement controls policies securing proprietary data access and storage
• Enforce agreements if breaches occur while avoiding overreach

Crafting tailored NDAs and non-competes enables startups to collaborate securely, hire needed talent, and raise capital without undercutting their ensuing success through preventable data loss to unauthorized parties.