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A profitable, single-founder web startup is making me an offer as the first employee (for CTO position).

It's particularly hard to evaluate the offer because:

  • This company has never received any capital and doesn't have any recent VC valuations.
  • Compensation offered has a somewhat unusual structure: a portion of monthly revenue with lower and upper bounds, plus equity.

What type of lawyer or advisor would best be able to help me evaluate the offer both in terms of value, and ensuring that it covers all the usual situations/topics?

I've found two pages that list some startup lawyers, but they are both from 2010, and they are mainly targeted at startup founders looking for lawyers which is not quite what I need here:

PS. I'm located in Silicon Valley

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This is not the right place for direct solicitations (see the FAQs). Maybe consider contacting the attorneys on your lists and asking for referrals? – Yorick Jan 31 at 6:48
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Or review the onstartups user list and see who is a lawyer. Perhaps there would be a fit there. Another good idea would be to improve your profile and add a way for someone to contact you. – jimg Jan 31 at 6:55
@Yorick: Is the part where I'm asking for recommendations for individuals the issue? If so, I will edit that part out. My question is more basic: I'm mainly wondering what type of lawyer to look for, and if there are any similar lists of lawyers that would be more appropriate for my situation. I'm not very familiar with this site, but I can't tell exactly what the issue with my question is based on this FAQ entry. – anon Jan 31 at 6:56
That would be great, and thanks for posting. Jimg's advice is good--put up some contact info, and search the users. – Yorick Jan 31 at 7:00
@jimg: Thanks for the tips. I added a link to my LinkedIn page. I couldn't find a way to add a more direct contact without displaying my email address. Looking at your profile, that seems to be what you're doing too. – anon Jan 31 at 7:04
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closed as off topic by Jesper Mortensen♦ Apr 1 at 9:49

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

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You're looking for an employment lawyer - specifically employment contracts.

Consider visiting LawPivot - you can post your question there and potentially find a lawyer there.

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How to find an attorney?

There is no substitute for doing your homework. Ask your colleagues who they use. Get a list and start narrowing it down. Check the state bar website to verify they are admitted. See what Google turns up. Contact the ones you like and ask enough questions to find out what they do and how they will bill you. If you call their office and speak with their assistant, ask what they think of him/her.

Do not ask questions about specific legal advice unless you are willing to pay for it. If the attorney agrees to a consultation, ask if you will be billed and how much.

If you wish to proceed, the attorney should perform a conflicts check, asking you a little bit about your matter and any possible competitors/adverse parties.

If everything looks good, then you should receive a written representation agreement that specifically explains what the attorney will do for you and how you will be charged. The representation agreement is negotiable, so ask questions.

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