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Our friends at First Round Capital posted an article based on an interview with Keith Callander with tips on how to find the best lawyer for your startup, which also touched on a number of legal necessities to act on from the outset. The article provides several helpful tips for spotting legal issues and how to go about finding a lawyer that’s right for you.
As part of our continued effort to provide rich, easy-to-digest guidance and resources that are tailored for busy entrepreneurs, below is a Quick Reference Guide to some of the Cooley GO articles most relevant to legal issues faced by early-stage startups. We also have publicly available generators for creating many of the legal documents that startup companies frequently need.
If you don’t see an article below on a topic you’re looking for, try using Cooley GObot. Also, you can always give us feedback (which we love), including suggestions for new topics you’d like to see covered.
Ownership entity
Founder issues
- Should You Have Founder Shareholder Agreements?
- Founder Basics: Founder’s Stock, Vesting and Founder Departures
- Protecting Your Founder Equity
- There is No Such Thing as “Founder Stock” (legally speaking)
- Protecting Your Company’s Intellectual Property
- Should You Invest in Patent Protection?
- Trademarks – Forging a sword and shield around your goodwill
- Trade Secrets: A Valuable Tool in Your IP Protection Strategy
- Trade Secret Management in the United States: Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid
IP assignments and employee issues
- The ABCs of CIIAAs: Protecting Employee-Generated IP
- What Do You Absolutely Need in Your Contractor Agreements?
- Addressing Advisors’ Concerns About Assigning Their Intellectual Property
- Who Owns What: Assignment and Ownership of Patents and Applications
Nondisclosure agreements (NDAs)
Distribution and licensing agreements
Last reviewed: September 2, 2025
