Startup Law
From initial formation through exit, early-stage and growth-stage companies face a complex legal landscape that can define their success. Anthony Girand advises founders, management teams, and investors across every legal dimension of the startup lifecycle.
Schedule a ConsultationWhy Startups Need Specialized Legal Counsel
Startups face legal decisions with long-term consequences from day one: What entity structure maximizes investment flexibility? How is founder equity structured to withstand venture investor due diligence? What IP rights does the company own versus what each founder takes if they leave?
Mistakes made early — an omitted founder agreement, a missed IP assignment, a poorly structured option pool — can cost millions in later financing rounds or during M&A due diligence. Preventive legal counsel is invariably cheaper than fixing problems after they arise.
Anthony Girand brings both federal litigation and transactional law experience, meaning he understands not only how to structure agreements to achieve business goals, but also which provisions are actually enforceable when relationships break down.
Startup Legal Services
Entity Formation
Choosing the right legal structure from the start is one of the most consequential decisions a founder makes. Anthony advises on LLC, C-Corp, and S-Corp formation — with a focus on Delaware C-Corp structuring for venture-backed companies — including bylaws, operating agreements, and early capitalization.
Founder Agreements
Co-founder disputes are among the leading causes of early startup failure. Anthony drafts and negotiates founder agreements covering equity splits, vesting schedules (typically four-year with one-year cliff), co-founder IP assignment, and departure provisions that protect the company if a founder exits.
Intellectual Property
IP is frequently a startup's most valuable asset. Anthony counsels companies on patent strategy and prosecution, trademark clearance and registration, copyright protection, trade secret policies, and — critically — IP assignment agreements for all founders, employees, and contractors.
Financing & Securities
From the first friends-and-family round through Series A and beyond, Anthony advises on SAFEs, convertible notes, seed and Series A term sheets, cap table management, and SEC exemptions including Regulation D and Regulation CF for equity crowdfunding.
Employment & Equity
Competitive talent requires competitive equity packages. Anthony structures option pools, advises on 409A valuations, drafts offer letters and NDAs, counsels on non-compete enforceability, and navigates the critical contractor vs. employee classification question — a frequent source of IRS and DOL scrutiny.
Commercial Contracts
Customer and vendor relationships define a startup's operational risk. Anthony drafts and negotiates SaaS subscription agreements, master service agreements (MSAs), software licensing deals, vendor contracts, and partnership agreements structured to protect the company's IP and revenue.
Regulatory Compliance
Industry-specific regulation can be existential for startups in fintech, healthtech, edtech, and other regulated verticals. Anthony advises on applicable federal and state licensing, data privacy compliance (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA), consumer protection obligations, and proactive regulatory strategy.
Corporate Governance
As companies scale and bring on institutional investors, governance becomes critical. Anthony advises on board composition and observer rights, voting agreements, protective provisions, drag-along and tag-along rights, and the fiduciary duties of directors and officers.
M&A and Exit
When the time comes to sell, merge, or go public, the structure of the transaction determines how much founders and investors actually receive. Anthony counsels on acquisition structuring (asset vs. stock deals), due diligence, representations and warranties, indemnification caps and baskets, and earnout provisions.
What Stages We Advise
Our practice serves companies at every stage of the startup lifecycle, from initial concept through exit.
Anthony Girand Law provides outside counsel to founders and companies on formation, equity, financing, contracts, governance, and disputes. Share a few details to help the firm evaluate and route your inquiry.
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