We Do Legal

Startup Lawyer for Ambitious Founders

No guesswork. No templates. Just law that works.

Raising capital. Signing with a co-founder. Launching with your first contractor. Each step locks in obligations that are hard to unwind.

Founders often move fast, but the legal documents don’t always keep up. Equity gets split without vesting terms. IP ownership isn’t recorded correctly. The raise closes, but investor rights were never reviewed.

That’s where startup lawyers add real value.

Lazarus Legal works with early-stage companies to set clean foundations, structure agreements clearly, and keep control as investor pressure grows. We don’t sell templates or give vague advice. We track the legal impact of each decision so your business doesn’t stall later.

We’re not just lawyers. We’re your pre-emptive edge.

Where founders go wrong, and what a startup lawyer fixes early

Startups rarely fail because of a single legal mistake. It’s usually a basic setup issue that only becomes obvious later when a raise is delayed, a founder walks, or ownership gets challenged.

We focus on the legal work that matters early when it’s still fixable.

Structuring the business properly

We issue founder shares with vesting (usually four years with a one-year cliff), draft a shareholder agreement with leaver clauses and board rights, and make sure equity reflects contribution, not just handshake deals.

Example: A startup had two founders listed as 50/50 shareholders from day one. Six months in, one left. Because there was no vesting or leaver clause, their full shareholding remained, and new investors pulled out due to the imbalance.

We also help set thresholds for drag-along and pre-emptive rights, to avoid deadlocks at raise or exit. If you’re offering team or adviser equity, we create the necessary resolutions, plan rules, and offer documentation, so it’s not just an informal promise.

Preparing for investors

We prepare and review shareholder agreements, IP assignment deeds, founder terms, and instruments like SAFEs or convertible notes. We make sure the terms match your stage and that they won’t cause issues in due diligence.

Example: A founder signed a convertible note without a valuation cap. When they tried to raise again, the next investor saw it as an uncapped risk and asked for a full rewrite. That delayed the deal and added legal costs on both sides.

Protecting ownership and IP

We ensure the company owns what it uses, especially where IP was created by a freelancer, founding contractor, or pre-incorporation contributor. We prepare IP assignment deeds that identify the work, confirm transfer of rights, and remove ambiguity about ownership.

Example: A startup used a contractor to build their MVP. They assumed the IP belonged to the company. When a licensing deal came up, the contractor claimed ownership. There was no assignment clause in the contract, and the deal stalled.

We also advise on trademark strategy, when to file, in what classes, and how to avoid registration under a personal name or unrelated entity, which can cause disputes later on.

Advice when new risks emerge

We handle early issues that often surface once the company starts trading such as employment disputes, platform liability, or privacy compliance questions.

Example: A founder hired a developer as an “independent contractor” but didn’t document it. After a disagreement, the developer claimed employee entitlements. The lack of a signed contract or agreement made it hard to defend.

We also flag common exposure points: collecting customer data without a compliant privacy policy, using misleading trial terms, or automating marketing without spam law coverage.

What’s Included When You Work With Our Startup Lawyers

These are the core deliverables we prepare for early-stage startups as they formalise their structure, raise capital, or make their first hires.

Shareholders Agreement

IP Assignment & Audit Summary

Capital Raise Documents

Founder-Facing Legal Advice

Advice on cap table structuring, adviser equity, and ESOP preparation
Guidance on employment law basics and risk exposures
Clarification of document terms, compliance obligations, or board processes
Ongoing legal input during the engagement is scoped clearly, with no open-ended billing

Commercial document drafting

Fully tailored, not template-based

One Thing Founders Often Miss

Some of the biggest legal risks aren’t dramatic; they’re structural. A handshake equity split. An unassigned brand. A logo registered under the wrong name. These don’t cause problems right away, which is why they get ignored.

But they’re the first things investors notice in due diligence.

If you’re not sure who owns your IP or whether your brand is even registered correctly, we’ve prepared a short guide on how trademark risk shows up in real startups.

2,000+ startups advised

From idea-stage co-founder setups to post-seed capital raises, across SaaS, marketplaces, Web3, and service platforms.

48-hour average response time

Urgent founder issues get addressed fast, not “we’ll get back to you next week” timelines.

$180M+ in capital raised

Our clients have raised across pre-seed, seed, and Series A with clean legal structures and investor-ready documentation.

10,000+ startup documents delivered

Every agreement is drafted in-house. Shareholder agreements, SAFE notes, ESOPs, IP deeds, and service terms are all tailored to the actual deal.

Protect your brand before someone else takes it.

Every agreement is drafted in-house. Shareholder agreements, SAFE notes, ESOPs, IP deeds, and service terms are all tailored to the actual deal.

What Founders Say

Ella Burgess

I highly recommend Mark and the team at Lazarus Legal. They assisted me with reviewing and negotiating a commercial lease. The entire process straightforward and stress-free. Thank you!

Tom Fleming

Approached Mark when we were starting our company. He was personable, provided great advice, hit our timelines and was really fair with his pricing. Highly recommend Lazarus Legal

Ask more from your startup lawyer

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Phone*

Company*

Service Required+

Message

What You’re Probably Googling at Midnight

Do I need a startup lawyer before I raise capital?

Yes. Investors will expect a clean company structure, proper founder agreements, and clarity on who owns what. A good startup lawyer ensures your company is “due diligence ready.”

Can I use templates instead?

Templates don’t account for context. If you’re splitting equity with co-founders, raising capital, or assigning IP, your terms need to reflect real risk, not assumptions.

What’s the difference between a startup lawyer and a general commercial lawyer?

A startup lawyer understands founder psychology, fast timelines, cap tables, and investor expectations. Commercial lawyers may be technically competent but aren’t always founder-aligned or startup-paced.

How much does it cost to work with a startup lawyer?

We offer fixed-fee packages for early-stage needs (e.g. shareholder agreements, website legal), and flexible ongoing arrangements for scaling startups. You’ll always know what you’re paying for before you pay.

Do you help with trademarks and IP?

Yes. We can register trademarks, draft IP assignment deeds, and advise on licensing, especially important when you’re working with contractors or outsourced developers.

Is Lazarus Legal only for tech startups?