How to Not Bankrupt Your Employees with Equity Awards

How to Not Bankrupt Your Employees with Equity Awards

From startups to major corporations, equity awards can be a great way to attract and maintain a talented workforce. There are a variety of ways a company can transfer partial ownership to its employees—but not every way is equal. In fact, some equity transfers can actually end up being very costly for employees, if not … Read More

to sue or not to sue

To Sue or Not to Sue?

Our litigation clients range from pushing for litigation to tactfully trying to avoid it. But there is one thing they all have in common: they’d rather not have to deal with the situation that has brought them to litigation. Litigation is a bit like an adult version of a grade school fight—if you can walk … Read More

Splitting Equity

How to Split Equity in Your Startup (updated)

Most startup founders have a pretty basic understanding of how to split equity in their startup. “I want to split equity 70-30” or “I want to split it 50-50.” That’s an okay starting point, but it doesn’t get you all the way there. To get it right, you need to understand the little nuances. And … Read More

The Right Way to Buy a Business

Some new entrepreneurs seek to jump start sales by buying an already-existing business. Some established businesses attempt to streamline their expansion by doing the same. If you’re considering buying a business, understand this is likely to be one of the largest purchases you, and your company, will ever make. Each business and industry is different. … Read More

Due Diligence: The Top 6 Items to Uncover Before You Buy a Business

Due Diligence: The Top 6 Items to Uncover Before You Buy a Business

When you’re under contract to buy a house, the last thing you’d skip would be the inspection. This is when you hire a professional to find out if the sewer is clogged, if the roof is leaky, if the floors are defective, and whether there’s carbon monoxide, radon, or mold in your hopeful home. It’s … Read More

Why Your Kickstarter Project Should Form a Limited Liability Company

Kickstarter alone has led to almost 3 billion dollars of funding to nearly 120,000 projects. Crowdsourcing has become a viable alternative to traditional funding sources, whether the focus is launching a specific project or building a business. The success stories of crowdsourced funding are as varied as the projects funded. However, the lessons from failed … Read More

Five Reasons NOT to Form Your Startup As an LLC

There are plenty of savvy startup experts who will tell you that there is absolutely no reason to form your startup as an LLC. You should always be a Delaware C Corporation. If you talk to any of the major accelerators, that’s what they’ll tell you. Same for most VCs. But make no mistake, there … Read More

The One Thing People Who File Trademarks On Their Own Always Get Wrong

You don’t need to be an experienced attorney to file for a trademark. It’s not that hard. Don’t get me wrong: If you don’t know what you’re doing, there’s a good chance you’ll get it wrong. But it’s not that hard to do. You’ll have to spend a whole bunch of time online reading and … Read More