Legal advice for startups from specialist startup lawyers

Your intellectual property, or IP, can cover everything from your brand name, logo, product, design, software and even ideas. Our intellectual property lawyers can help founders and startups protect IP right from the start, so you can avoid a costly re-brand, unauthorised copying, and ownership disputes with co-founders, contractors and employees. This helps protect your reputation and promote growth, investment and a successful exit. 

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• We'll conduct a thorough search in the markets (UK, UAE and internationally) where your business will operate and register the IP (including trademarks, patents and design rights) that matters. 
• We’ll draft and review your key contracts to protect your IP (with developers, employees, service providers and anyone else who interfaces with your product, services or tech stack) and ensure your startup own all necessary IP. 
• You’ll be able to take legal action if someone steals or copies your registered IP. 
• You’ll know you’re on the right side of intellectual property law which is good news for investors, customers, partners and future-you.

Proper IP protection from day one protects your reputation, prevents expensive disputes, and strengthens your position with investors and acquirers.

Know that you’re founding a startup that’s ready for anything, with advice from a business formation lawyer. DIY incorporation means running the risk of failing to live up to your legal obligations.

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To ensure your business is set up for success from the start, our business formation lawyers can help you: 

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• Choose the optimal business structure (sole trader, partnership, limited company or limited liability partnership).
• Get startup incorporation right from day one. Make sure you have a checklist of legal risks to be aware of.
• Prepare your company documents and help you with governmental portals (for instance Companies House in the UK).

We handle the admin so you can focus on building.

Hit the ground running, with all the legal documents for founders and startups you’re likely to need.

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Why draft documents for your startup? Every business need tailored legal documents to match their unique set up, business model, jurisdiction and risk profile. Avoid the risk of assuming that one-size fits-all or using ill-fitting templates that leave you as a founder or startup vulnerable.

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Know that your business is protected with bespoke legal document drafting for essential like:

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• Non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements.
• Contracts with clients and suppliers. 
• Terms and conditions. 
• Privacy policies and compliance.
• Resourcing (whether on an employment or contractor basis). 

It’s essential to have airtight shareholder agreements between founders, even for good friends or experienced entrepreneurs – trust us on this one, we can tell you some horror stories about when shareholders don’t have written terms setting out their relationship. Shareholder disputes destroy co-founder relationships, freeze decision-making, and derail investment. Written shareholder agreements prevent this.

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Our team will help you create legally binding agreements that outline roles, responsibilities and obligations - providing clear processes for handling disputes if they occur and safeguarding your business’s future. Get help with:

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• Equity splits.
• Exit strategies.
• Everyday decision making.
• Role definition.

Our shareholder agreement solicitors can make sure you’re all on the same page right from the start before awkward conversations become expensive ones. We ensure your agreement protects each founder's interests, complies with company law, and is investor ready.

Our startup lawyers know how to support businesses from the very first idea all the way through to maturation and exit events. We’ve got experience working with founders and entrepreneurs at all levels, and our lawyers for startups can provide both commercial and practical advice to suit founders and startups.

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We know startups move fast, so we focus on giving clear, pragmatic advice that helps founders and startups keep momentum without unnecessary friction.

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We deliver specialist startup legal advice (not corporate templates), fast turnaround on documents and decisions, clear explanations of legal risk and trade-offs, and proactive advice that anticipates investor or regulatory issues.