Start-up Support
Legal Advice For Start-ups
Building something of your own is both exhilarating and challenging in equal measure. The pursuit of entrepreneurship is like solving a Rubik’s cube, both look impossible at first. The probability of solving a Rubik’s cube randomly is effectively zero. One wrong move may require you to pivot, backtrack, or even start all over again. When starting a business, your legal framework might seem like the least important aspect, however, setting it up at random and without a plan could be more costly in the long run. Having a clear strategy in play and getting the sequence right from the start will determine the trajectory and the victories. Along the way you may get frustrated and put it down a few times, but persistence, consistency and knowing where you need support are key. At The DLC, we understand your business, like a Rubik’s cube, is a labour of love. There is nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment once you have aligned all the colours in the right order.
So, if you have started or are starting a business of your own kudos to you! We encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship and are happy to hand-hold start-ups (in terms of legal advice) for as long as needed. From our experience, we have often seen that founders either do not understand the importance of taking care of the legal structure or are apprehensive to approach law firms. Moreover, as a start-up, you likely have enough on your plate and do not want to get bogged down by the ‘legal’ side of things. No question is too small for us and we pride ourselves in being accessible to all. Regardless of the scale and size of your Rubik’s cube, we can help you solve it.
- Advice on the best structure for your business
- Advice on setting up a company or any other form of business in England & Wales
- Terms & Conditions of Business
- Privacy Notices
- Providing you with list of essential contracts that every start-up should have in place at the very outset. These include:
- Non-Disclosure Agreements/ Confidentiality Agreements
- Employment Agreements/Freelance Agreements
- Employment Handbook
- Agreements relating to your Intellectual Property
- Shareholders’ Agreements
- Partnership Agreements
- Founders’ Agreements
- Advice on how to protect, manage and commercialise your Intellectual Property.
Our Personal Approach
At The DLC we go above and beyond what is expected from a traditional law firm. We are an approachable and personable team that works hard to meet the needs of our clients in order to help achieve their goals. When you work with us, we grow, we succeed and we progress together.
FAQ’s
What are some of the legal essentials a start-up should bear in mind?
If you are about to launch or have recently started a business, or even if you are an established business, it is always good to check if you have some of the legal essentials in place. The legal essentials checklist is as follows:
- Determining which structure is best suited for your business
- Ensuring that your business is legally compliant. For example, you have the right licenses and certifications in place, insurance policies, terms and conditions, a privacy policy etc.
- Ensuring that when you deal with third-parties you do so by way of contracts (preferably written)
- Protecting your Intellectual Property
- Avoiding disputes
What services do we offer to start-ups?
We provide the following legal support to start-ups:
- Advising them on the legal framework they should ideally have in place
- Putting together terms and conditions, disclaimers and policies, including a privacy notice that complies with applicable data protection law
- Drawing up contracts for the recruitment of employees or hiring of free-lancers/independent contractors
- Advising them on the protection and commercialisation of their Intellectual Property
- Drawing up contracts that they may need to execute internally such as shareholders’ agreement, founders’ agreement, partnership agreement, etc.
- Drawing up contracts that they may need to execute with third-parties such as service level agreements, purchase and sale agreements, collaboration agreements, etc.
Can we provide legal support in relation to a start-up raising funds?
Yes, we can provide legal advice and assistance in terms of documentation to start-ups raising funds or to investors investing in start-ups. Support, however, is restricted to legal support only.
