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Denver Lawyer For Business Startups

The startup phase is your perfect chance to avoid the problems that founders often create by bungling their startups. The seasoned Colorado startup lawyers at Sequoia Legal can help you navigate the business startup minefield.

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If you are planning on starting a business, you are potentially entering a situation with myriad complex legal issues.

The process of starting a business is filled with legal pitfalls, many of which are invisible to anyone without very specific legal training and experience.

At Sequoia Legal, we’ve got your back. We have been with many of our business clients right from the start, meaning that our startup attorneys have seen it all. We can assist you at every stage of your emerging business.

Why You Need a Lawyer For a Successful Startup

You shouldn’t attempt to represent yourself or your company during the startup phase of your business. Every decision you make carries consequences that can unfold over months or even years. Your choice of business entity and related tax elections, for example, can carry tax consequences that could prove ruinous down the road.

The structure of your business documentation, such as a partnership agreement or an LLC agreement, could present unexpected obstacles to the addition of a new equity partner. Raising capital is bound to raise a myriad of legal issues, as will regulatory and tax compliance. There is probably not a single area of your operations that will not be affected in some way by legal issues. A small business startup lawyer can save you a multitude of headaches.

Expert Legal Guidance For All Challenges Startups May Face

The law is more complex for some industries than for others. Regardless of your industry, however, your startup is going to face legal obstacles, challenges, and opportunities throughout its lifetime. Because of this, a business law attorney is a necessity rather than a luxury. You may, for example, need a startup company attorney for the following matters:

  • Selecting the appropriate business vehicle for your startup. Incorporation is not the only option and perhaps not the best one for your startup
  • Filing and maintaining the appropriate company formation documentation-corporate bylaws, LLC membership agreements, etc
  • Creating tax-efficient business strategies. This task requires more than a little creativity
  • Structuring the relationships between executives, directors, key employees, and other stakeholders
  • Drafting joint venture agreements
  • Drafting investor documents for raising additional capital
  • Drafting buy-sell agreements
  • Structuring merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, performing due diligence, and generating appropriate documentation if your new company is going to acquire another company as part of its kick-off strategy
  • Registering trademarks and copyrights
  • Negotiating and drafting confidentiality agreements to protect trade secrets
  • Drafting employment contracts and labor matters
  • Advising on taxation strategies and changes in tax laws

In addition, you may need a corporate lawyer for startup advice on various day-to-day legal matters.

Our attorneys are here to hold your hand and support you

Schedule an online appointment and let our firm help you with resolving your case.

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We Provide Legal Counsel For Startups In Many Industries

If your company is just getting started, you need a law firm that works with startups that has accumulated extensive experience in various industries. Our small business startup attorneys service clients in the following industries, among others:

  • Technology
  • Healthcare & medical
  • E-commerce
  • Life science & biotech
  • Internet
  • Agribusiness
  • Software & SAAS
  • Healthcare
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Many other industries
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We offer the legal support you need to launch your startup company and achieve your business objectives.

Attorneys

Why Hire a Professional Startup
Lawyer From Sequoia Legal?

The experienced startup attorneys at Sequoia Legal can make it happen for you and your team:

  • We will explore multiple legal options to find the best solution for you
  • We will leverage our superior understanding of the Denver market gained from decades of combined experience
  • We will treat every aspect of our representation as important. To us, there is no such thing as a minor detail
  • We understand that no two clients are identical and that every case is unique. We will craft unique, tailor-made solutions to the challenges that face your startup
  • We will consider the short-term, medium-term, and long-term consequences of every act we undertake and every strategy that we recommend

Our ultimate goal is to provide you with the maximum degree of control over your own destiny that outstanding legal services can achieve for a startup.

Meet Startups Attorneys

What Our Clients Say

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Kyle M.

I have worked with both Hunter and Andrew at Sequoia Legal and they are awesome. Responsive, knowledgeable and always hit deadlines. We have used them over and over because they great to work with and great at their work!

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Cyndi S.

Our company operates in a highly regulated industry. Sequoia Legal has been our go-to law firm for years now. I am happy to say that we have never suffered a serious regulatory noncompliance problem, and Sequoia Legal has quickly resolved the few minor problems that did arise.

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Gary D.

Sequoia Legal has been helping us with regulatory compliance matters for years now. So far, we have not had a single complaint lodged against us by any patient or entity, and no enforcement actions have been implemented or threatened. I can’t praise them enough.

Contact Our Denver Startup Business Lawyers Now

Sequoia Legal is a Denver-based business law firm for startup companies that understands the unique legal challenges faced by startups. Call us today at (303) 476-2851 or contact us online for a free consultation.

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Denver Office

7355 E. Orchard Rd., Suite 375 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

*by appointment only

Office Hours

Mon - Fri
9am - 5pm
Call For Off-Hour Appointments

Licensed in New York, Colorado, & Alaska with an international flair

Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs)

Is Hiring An Attorney Essential In Early Stages Of Startup?

Many startups are tempted to delay the expense of hiring a lawyer until the company starts making money. This is a bad idea all the way around. Hiring a lawyer who specializes in startups at the earliest stages of your business can save you far more than they will cost you.

What Type Of Business Entity Should I Choose?

Which type of business entity you should choose depends on your business plans, your risk tolerance, and many other factors. Selecting the wrong form of business organization could mean bankruptcy, or it could mean a crushing tax burden. Consult with your attorney on the pros and cons of each form of business organization in light of your financial resources and your unique business goals.

What Are Typical Legal Expenses For Startup Companies?

The following startup expenses are common:

  • Entity formation and qualification. You can incorporate in Delaware for as little as $50, for example, while LLC formation fees range from $40 (Kentucky) to $500 (Massachusetts). Other fees apply as well.
  • Fees to draft Corporate bylaws, LLC agreements, etc (which can be in the thousands depending on the number of partners/shareholders/investors).Β Β 
  • Fees to draft initial contracts such as employment agreements and confidentiality agreements.
  • Trademark and patent fees.

What are My Top Legal Priorities if Our Budget Is Limited?

Even on a skeleton budget, you will need at least the following:

  • Business entity formation documentation (LLC, corporation, partnership, etc.)
  • Drafting ownership and equity documentation to establish who owns the company
  • Intellectual property protection (patent and trademark applications, licensing agreements, etc.)
  • Tax-efficient management so that you do not end up with unintended tax consequences

Should I form an S-Corp? What is the difference between an S-Corp and an LLC?

You can form an S-corp or form an LLC and ask the government to tax it as an S-corp. LLCs allow you far more structural flexibility. Remember, though, if you form an LLC and have it taxed as an S-corp, you must file an individual S-corp tax return every year.

Why Isn’t Using an Online Startup Incorporation Service Always a Good Idea?

Online startup incorporation services are not law firms, and they don’t pretend to be. When you use one of these services, you end up with a prefabricated legal structure that is not tailor-made to suit your business needs. In fact, if you seek to bring in a new member, you might even have to tear it all up and start over again. A commercial and corporate attorney can help you individualize your business structure.