Startup Formation

Our Columbus, Ohio business attorneys assist startups with formation and organization, including Ohio LLCs, Ohio corporations, Delaware LLCs, Delaware corporations, business tax structure, equity and vesting, company valuation, stock purchases, and units grant agreements.

Contract Drafting

Our Columbus startup-focused law firm works closely with startups to develop and negotiate all types of contracts, including services agreements, employment agreements, licensing agreements, SaaS agreements, vendor contracts, and terms and conditions.

Startup Scaling

Being very proud to represent clients who have grown from a handful of founders to multimillion dollar companies, our Ohio startup law firm is very experienced with and understands the unique concerns and issues of growing companies looking to scale.

TOP RATED BUSINESS STARTUP ATTORNEY COLUMBUS, OHIO

From entity selection to funding to signing the first contract, our Columbus, Ohio business startup attorney has years of experience in working with startups and helps guide founders, entrepreneurs, and investors on structuring early-stage and growth-stage companies.

Forming a business can, at times, make for a hectic process. Between securing funding, fine-tuning your products or services, and managing employees, company founders can sometimes simply lack the time to address startup legal issues.

Our Columbus business startup attorney starts by working closely with a new business and assessing startup formation and legal organization issues. This includes assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of where to form a business and what type of entity to form, including a Delaware C-corporation, a limited liability company, an Ohio C-corporation, an S-corporation, or a public benefit corporation (PBC).

If a startup chooses to form as a corporation, our Columbus, Ohio startup company lawyer walks the business through forming the corporation in the chosen state. This includes drafting the articles of incorporation, bylaws or code of regulations, stock certificates, written consents of the board of directors, and other formation documents that make up the corporate binder.

In organizing the corporation, our Columbus business startup lawyer advises the newly formed corporation on a number of structuring concerns. Depending on the startup, this includes defining stockholder meetings, quorum requirements, and meeting conduct; structuring the board of directors; and appointing officers and defining their powers.

Our Columbus LLC startup attorney also counsels companies that choose to go the LLC route. In terms of preparing and negotiating LLC formation documents, this can include preparing the articles of organization, EIN, operating agreement, and capitalization table.

In terms of organizing the LLC startup, our lawyer advises on core limited liability company components. This includes counseling regarding multiple classes of units; founder equity splits; vesting of equity; members meetings and actions; creating a board of managers; rules regarding capital accounts; allocations and distributions; admitting new members; transfer ability of equity; appointing officers; indemnification; and dissolution.

AFTER FORMATION, OUR COLUMBUS, OHIO LAWYER FOR BUSINESS STARTUP ASSISTS COMPANIES WITH ALL ASPECTS OF GROWTH AND LEGAL PLANNING AND COMPLIANCE INCLUDING:

  • Articles of organization, operating agreements, articles of incorporation, bylaws, and code of regulations
  • Seed, angel, super angel, venture capital (VC), and institutional funding and financing
  • Raising funding from accredited investors and non-accredited investors
  • Intellectual property (IP) protection, planning, and enforcement, including trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and technology licensing
  • Commercial transactions and template contract design
  • Stock options, stock grants, shareholder’s agreements, restricted stock units (RSUs), phantom stock, capital interests, profits interests, and vesting schedules
  • Structuring of equity for employees and independent contractors, including incorporating cliff vesting
  • Corporate governance
  • Employment law counseling, including employee vs independent contractor classification
  • Convertible promissory notes
  • Due diligence preparation and management
  • Exit strategies, including buyouts, acquisitions, acqui-hires, mergers, asset purchase agreements, and stock sale agreements
  • Capitalization table (cap table) preparation and maintenance and tax planning
  • Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), technology assignment agreements, and intellectual property assignment agreements

Whether your startup is a one-person shop or your goal is to hire dozens of employees, our experienced lawyers have worked with businesses of all sizes. Our small business startup attorney in Columbus, Ohio has assisted a number of small businesses, including construction companies, IT consultants, and retail companies. Our corporate lawyer has worked with large startups and mature companies, including Fortune 500s and multinational corporations. Contact our attorneys today to see how we can assist your startup.

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