A great startup attorney has seen nearly everything before. An attorney with this wealth of experience can help guide an entrepreneur through initial stages of a startup and into raising capital. Areas where an inexperienced entrepreneur or attorney can become tied up in unimportant details are quickly recognized and resolved by an attorney with vast knowledge of startups.
Is any attorney absolutely perfect? Of course not. Can hiring the wrong attorney become an absolute disaster? Absolutely.
An attorney with the right knowledge set to help the entrepreneur navigate the landscape is an invaluable asset when negotiating VC (Venture Capital) financing. This is a person that can give you advice on legal matters, VC financing, and IP (Intellectual Property). This doesn’t necessarily mean the most expensive attorney from the largest firm.
Seek advice from other entrepreneurs. Receiving a recommendation from one or more individuals who have already progressed through the process is great resource for finding an experienced attorney. This is an area where it is best to avoid choosing the first available option.
One of resources for finding an attorney is to join various groups and associations associated with startups and then getting recommendations from group members. Some of the LinkedIn based groups are listed below but there are many others as well:
Executive Suite
I Love Startups
Band of Entrepreneurs
Bright Ideas and Entrepreneurs
