Why this matters
"I need a lawyer" is not a scope. Formation, contracts, IP, and employment are different specialties with different price tags. List your needs first, or you'll pay a generalist to learn on your dime.
What "done" looks like
- A one-page written inventory of legal needs, sorted by category
- Each item marked one-time (formation) or ongoing (contract review)
- A priority order: what must happen before revenue, what can wait
- Clarity on what you'll DIY with templates vs. hand to counsel
How to do it
- List formation and governance needs: entity choice, operating agreement or bylaws, state registrations, founder equity splits.
- List contract needs: customer agreements, vendor terms, NDAs, leases, note which you'll reuse.
- List IP needs: trademarks, assignments from founders and contractors, licensing.
- List employment needs: offer letters, contractor agreements, handbook, classification questions.
- Flag industry-specific regulation, licensing, privacy, food safety, finance, it often decides which lawyer you need.
- Mark each item urgent/soon/later; flag anything carrying personal liability.
Common mistakes
- Hiring a family friend who does estate law for a startup equity question
- Treating legal as one purchase instead of a list you work down over a year
- Leaving IP assignment off the list until an investor or acquirer asks for it
Real-world examples
- A classic diligence pattern: missing IP assignments from early contractors surface during a fundraise or acquisition, forcing scramble-and-signature rounds years later.
- Routine formation filings are commonly handled online or directly with the state, while equity structures and multi-founder agreements are the items lawyers most often see botched when DIY'd.
From a founder's point of view
The list is leverage. Categorized needs turn a vague get-to-know-you hour into a quoting session, and make it obvious whether the lawyer across the table actually handles your kind of work.
Rule of thumb
If you can't name the three legal items that would hurt most if botched this year, you're not ready to hire, you're ready to make the list.
