Start-ups

Start-ups are special businesses which demand legal advice tailored to their specific requirements. Considering the founding process is intermittently different than the other start-ups: often digitally driven with rapid growth, also in terms of personnel, frequently with considerable capital requirements that necessitate investors and financing. Occasionally, it is part of the start-up strategy and perspective of the company is the exit.

Therefore, providing legal advice to start-ups, it is important to minimise liability risks, optimally protect IP assets in order to ensure the greatest possible legal certainty between the relationship of the investors and cooperation partners - including the pivotal interest of the founders.

Start-up advice for founding

First and foremost, start-ups are no different than the other businesses. Legal advice and services that support scalability should commence from the very beginning of its launch. Founding a company without having proper legal advice and consultation is always a risky game which can be spotted like `wildfire´, throughout its journey, whether in the medium or over the very long run, e.g. when a company is being or has been sold. Henceforth, it is highly recommended to seek legal advice once you have a concrete start-up idea. It is significantly vital to have a lawyer "on board" as a legal sparring partner, in the best sense of term, a competent person of concern guiding through the jungle of regulations that apply to business today- this exact approach is what you need to position your own start-up on a legally secured footing.

We are happy to take the role as your sparring partner, worrier and by providing best value-driven solutions for problems faced in legal matters. We carefully examine business models by taking into account different (exit) scenarios, for instance the sale of a company, acquisition of investor shares by founders or participation of new investors. We certainly provide advice and guidance to support you in connection with the launch preparation of a business plan, the choice of necessary legal forms and documentations, acquisition of investors, any contractual matters in this context despite its complexity, including drafting of articles of association etc. in corporate law for the actual foundation itself.

Start-up consultation for ongoing operations

We pride ourselves on delivering an overall service to our clients, as well as to our potential clients. As one would say, `put flesh on the bones`, we provide advice on each and every key pinch-points, accompanying you through your founding journey and represent you once the start-up is launched and operating in the "everyday business". The crucial areas in which start-ups need proper legal support are relatively of a wide-range, specifically during its ongoing operations:

• Corporate law plays a major role in the entire life cycle of a start-up involving drafting of Articles of Association, shareholder agreements and participation agreements or in the area of M&A, just to name a few. It is not uncommon for there to be certain points of association with labour law, e.g. in connection with employee shareholdings (stock options, ESOPs, etc.).
• Labour law and social security law are of great importance in start-ups from its initial stages of launch, as there will be many constant and continuous fundamental changes occurring throughout the life cycle of a company, e.g. regarding the employment of "permanent freelancers", also in connection with the applicability of the Dismissal Protection Act for permanent employment relationships. These are potential circumstances the company likely to encounter as it grows and prospers.
• IP protection plays a role insofar as start-ups should efficiently protect and defend IP assets (trademarks, patents, copyrighted works, etc.) at all stages. Simultaneously, it is important to act competitively in the market, especially in marketing and corporate communication, in order to avoid warnings and claims for damages due to infringements.
• IT law plays a major role in digitally driven business models, e.g. in connection with the protection of software, in the development and support of IT projects and so forth. The area of eCommerce/Internet law, on the other hand, plays a role for all start-ups which operates on the Internet, including those who uses the Internet as a sales channel.
• Since the entry into force of the GDPR, data protection law should have become part of all companies. In the best-case scenario, data protection requirements are implemented by start-ups at that time of their founding and incorporated during ongoing operations in order to avoid costly "hassles" with data protection authorities, consumers or consumer protection associations.
• Last but foremost, contract law plays an immensely important role for start-ups in all facets. Ultimately, reliable contracts acts as a firm basis for economic success - whether in terms of the legal relationship with customers or cooperation partners, also predominantly in the relationship between sales partners of various sorts.