Workshop: Top 10 Legal Missteps when forming a Startup

This workshop, held on June 7, was well-attended.  If you were there and have follow-up questions, feel free to post in the comments section.

This workshop is for entrepreneurs who are thinking about forming a start-up, or have recently started a business, and want greater insight on how to avoid the typical legal problems encountered by new businesses.  Four professionals – a securities lawyer, an intellectual property (IP) lawyer, an immigration lawyer, and an international tax CPA – will discuss the most important legal issues to consider in the early stages of your business.  Their presentations will provide information on how to protect your intellectual property rights, avoid tax surprises, handle immigration issues and ensure a smooth growth and exit.

Our Top 10 Legal Missteps List:

1. Not forming a business entity.
2. Choosing the wrong entity type.
3. Not protecting your IP assets.
4. Mismanaging your IP assets.
5. Misunderstanding visa options when you start your own company.
6. Mishandling employee arrangements and tax matters outside of the U.S.
7. Operating with fuzzy founder or employment agreements (or, lack of agreements!).
8. Failing to correctly compensate employees/founders/partners (e.g. stock options, salaries for S-Corp owners, retirement plans, and more).
9. Ignoring your books.
10. DIY lawyering/accounting/etc!