As a startup founder, you’ve probably already got a long to-do list, and “consult a lawyer” is probably top of that list.
Most founders do the logical thing: they reach out to a corporate lawyer.
That makes sense. Corporate counsel are the architects of your business structure.
But if you’re building a tech company or any startup whose value lies in innovation, you also need another kind of lawyer in your corner early on:
An IP lawyer.
And not just someday. Early.
Here’s why.
What Corporate Lawyers Do for Startups
Corporate lawyers ensure your business is legally structured and protected from financial and operational risks. Their expertise includes:
- Entity Formation: Helping you choose between LLCs, corporations, and other business structures.
- Contracts & Agreements: Drafting partnership agreements, vendor contracts, and employment terms.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring your startup adheres to local, federal, and industry-specific regulations.
- Funding & Investments: Assisting in equity agreements, venture capital negotiations, and other financial transactions.
While corporate lawyers create the legal foundation of your startup, they are not trained to necessarily focus on protecting your ideas and your brand. And make no mistake, this is the core of your business.
You need IP counsel to:
Think about whether your code base is protected, or whether your product disclosures might blow your chance at a patent.
Drafting airtight IP assignment clauses for your employees and NDAs for your vendors.
If your startup’s value lies in your product, technology, brand, data, or know-how, that’s IP, and it needs its own strategy.
What IP Lawyers Do for Startups
Intellectual property is often a startup’s most valuable resource. An IP lawyer ensures that your innovation is safeguarded and that you maintain control over your brand, technology, and creative assets. Our focus includes:
- Patents & Trade Secrets: Protecting inventions, proprietary processes, and unique technologies before they hit the market.
- Trademarks & Branding: Securing your company name, logo, and brand identity to prevent misuse or infringement.
- Copyrights: Safeguarding original works such as software, content, and designs.
- IP Agreements & Licensing: Ensuring ownership clarity when collaborating with developers, designers, and partners.
Why Startups Need IP Protection Early
Too often, founders assume that IP concerns come later, and in particular after the product is fully developed or after securing funding. Unfortunately, delaying IP protection can lead to lost opportunities, legal battles, or even losing rights to your own invention or brand. Imagine developing groundbreaking technology only to find that a competitor patents it first. Or launching a brand name that another company trademarks, forcing a costly rebrand.
Startups that consult an IP lawyer early avoid these pitfalls. Establishing IP protection alongside business formation ensures that your innovations, brand, and creative assets remain yours, which gives you a competitive edge from day one.
What Happens Without an IP Lawyer?
Too often, founders reach out to me after something has gone wrong:
- You’re in diligence, and it turns out they don’t own their IP.
- You’ve invested in branding and marketing only to get a cease-and-desist over the name.
- You disclosed your “secret sauce” in a pitch deck without an NDA and lost the ability to patent it.
These aren’t theoretical risks. I’ve seen them stall funding rounds, tank deals, and sink startups entirely.
So When Should You Bring in an IP Lawyer?
If you’re doing any of the following, it’s time:
- Choosing a name or branding your product
- Hiring developers, contractors, or designers
- Pitching investors with decks that explain your tech or business process
- Planning to file a patent or even just wondering if you should
- Launching a beta or publishing product details on your website
- Working with a joint venture partner or collaborating with another company
In other words: if you’re building anything worth protecting, consult an IP lawyer.
Corporate Lawyers & IP Lawyers: A Powerful Duo
Rather than choosing between corporate lawyers and IP lawyers, you should consider us as complementary forces. Your corporate lawyer ensures financial and operational security, while your IP lawyer protects the ideas that make your startup unique.
The best legal strategy involves both. By working with an IP lawyer early on, you’re not just securing your company structure. You are also securing your future.
If you’re a startup founder, let’s talk about how to protect what makes your business valuable before it’s too late. The earlier we start, the stronger your foundation will be.
The best legal teams work in tandem.
Your corporate lawyer keeps your company clean. Your IP lawyer makes sure what you’re building is protected and ownable.
It’s not about choosing one or the other; it’s about knowing what each of us is here to do.
