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I have a partnership agreement I'd like a second opinion on, but I can't afford a lawyer right now. What other resources are out there? I've found a web-based contract review site that uses attorneys "from the 10% of U.S. law schools"- Contract Gurus. They seem legitimate (twitter and blog response is positive), and they're definitely affordable, but I don't know.

Any one have any experience with them or a similar service?

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closed as off topic by littleadv, Christian, Karlson, Zuly Gonzalez♦ Nov 18 '12 at 14:05

Questions on Answers OnStartups are expected to relate to startups within the scope defined in the FAQ. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about closed questions here.

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

You shouldn't be signing a partnership agreement without legal advice. If you can not afford to hire an attorney do not sign it. Look up the legal liabilities of a partnership agreement, and then you can see why it needs to be reviewed by an attorney.

Everyone seems to want to use shortcuts. If you buy a Lexis, do you then purchase gas from a neighbor who stores it in their backyard?

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up vote 1 down vote

You changed the question so I'll update my answer with a fourth option. I'll also add that Gary E is correct. You can't afford to pay for a lawyer today, but you can't afford not to have a lawyer's blessing today, either.

You don't say where you live, but here are a few generic places you might look:

  1. There are some law firms that will provide legal services to startups and (partially) delay billing until the startup gets on its own two feet financially.
  2. Some cities have entrepreneurial incubator programs (e.g. UT here in Austin and Rice University in Houston) that can provide basic legal (and other) services needed by startups at reduced cost
  3. There is a website meetup.com that helps get like-minded individuals get together face-to-face on a regular basis. Some of those meet ups are targeted to entrepreneurs and might be a good place to get good local references for what you need.
  4. Look into SCORE, they're a non-profit group of mostly retired folks from all aspects of the business world and their goal is to help get folks like you up and running. Contact the closest SCORE office and talk to them to see what your local options really are.

Good luck.

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" You can't afford to pay for a lawyer today, but you can't afford not to have a lawyer's blessing today, either." I would change that to, You can't afford to pay for a lawyer today, but you can't afford not to have a lawyer's blessing tomorrow, either." It may be a few thousand dollars in cost today, but it could cost you millions in the future. The idea and the execution are a good portion of any business, protecting both is equally important. You need to do the legal work on any deal. Scrounge the money however you have to. – NeedAGeekIndy Oct 11 '12 at 0:03
@NeedAGeekIndy: A much better way to phrase what I was trying to convey. – Chris Gerken Oct 11 '12 at 1:59

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