Emerging Companies
Counsel that Grows with Your Company
EMERGING COMPANIES
Founder-friendly counsel for startups built to scale.
Incorporation Packages for US and Canadian Businesses
Founder Agreements and 83(b) Elections
SAFEs, Convertible Notes and Priced Rounds
Equity Incentive Plans and Option Grants
Get Set Up with Initial Contract Templates & Policies
Employee Offer Letters, Contractor and Advisor Agreements
Corporate Governance Including Board Minutes and Consents
“I love helping founders navigate the issues that come with creating something new. The frequent client contact and complex issues make it an exciting area of practice.”
Nick Gallion, Lawyer at Blackletter
Emerging Companies
Startup and venture counsel that moves at founder speed.
Early decisions compound: how you incorporate, how founder shares vest, which investors you take money from and on what terms. We help you get it right from day one, from incorporation through each round of financing.
Our lawyers work with frontier technology, so you get experienced judgment at the speed a startup moves. Every matter runs on a fixed fee, quoted up front. No billable hours, and no manufactured complexity. Our attorneys and system are primed to provide pragmatic, strategic business advice to help you move your business forward.
Who We Work With
Our emerging companies practice is built for venture-backed founders, from pre-seed onwards. Our clients include ambitious companies across industries including frontier AI, hardware, robotics, climate and health. We act for startups based in the US and Canada, including cross-border teams with founders in one country and investors in the other.
Founders come to us at different points. We can partner with you before you even have a name or at any point thereafter. We pride ourselves on learning your business and building our legal work around where you are going.
Why Bring In a Startup Lawyer Early
The cheapest legal problem is the one you never create. Most issues we untangle for startups began as a shortcut in the first six months: a cofounder with no vesting schedule, a contractor who never signed an IP assignment, a SAFE with terms nobody modelled. It's simple to get right early and more expensive to fix later.
Working with counsel from the beginning also means someone knows your history and can provide better advice, faster. We act as a strategic partner to you from day one; we're in your court. When a term sheet lands, we already know your cap table and structure. That means faster, better advice on what each term means for you.
Startup Legal Services, From Day Zero, Onwards
Blackletter can support with the breadth of company needs, across corporate, commercial, employment and financing.
Business Formation in the US and Canada
We can help you make decisions around incorporation jurisdiction and selecting the right business structure:
Certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws and initial board consents
Founder stock purchase agreements and IP assignments
An initial cap table built to stay accurate and easy to manage as you grow
Registrations to operate where your team works
Founder Equity, Vesting and 83(b) Elections
Founder equity is the first deal you make, and it resurfaces in every financing after it. We draft founder and employee equity terms that keep your business goals in mind. Here are some aspects that we'll advise on:
Vesting and cliff terms, and any other unique scheduling that suits your team
Single- or double-trigger acceleration on a sale
83(b) elections for US founders, filed on time for full tax benefits
Equity for cofounders and early team members who join later
Raising Capital
Startup funding typically starts with SAFEs or convertible notes before moving into a priced round. For a founder, running a fundraising process is stressful and time-consuming. We help you structure, paper and project-manage the fundraising process. We are a true partner to you in this critical moment.
SAFEs, convertible notes and side letters
Term sheet review and negotiation
Priced equity rounds, from seed to growth stage
Investor diligence, closing deliverables and post-closing filings
Investors will negotiate valuation, liquidation preferences, board seats and protective provisions, and every term you accept shapes the next round and your eventual exit.
Commercial Contracts
Your first contracts set the course for your customer and vendor relationships. We can draft templates and be a partner in the ongoing review and negotiations of your commercial agreements. We move as fast as your business needs and deserves.
SaaS agreements and master services agreements
Pilot and proof-of-concept agreements with enterprise customers
Vendor, partnership and reseller contracts
NDAs
Terms of service and policies
Hiring Your Team
Early hires at startups often join for equity as much as salary, so their paperwork matters more than it looks. Our Employment team sets you up to build a team properly:
Offer letter template and ongoing support as needed
Contractor and advisor agreements
An equity incentive plan, option grants and ongoing cap table management
Confidentiality and IP assignment
Separation and termination
Governance and Your Cap Table
Diligence always starts with your minute book and corporate structure. Improper or sloppy governance structures can slow things down. We can keep records in good shape as you go, from board and stockholder consents to annual approvals and cap table management.
PRICING
Fixed Fees for Every Matter
All fees are fixed and quoted upfront. No surprise bills, no hourly rates. Pricing by the outcome, not the hour, represents a paradigm shift in law: It means we’re paid for the value we create, not the time we spend.
