legal

Legal — Startup Legal Counsel

Draft legal documents that protect you without $500/hr bills. Always get real lawyer review before publishing.

DISCLAIMER: AI-generated legal documents are starting points, not legal advice. Have a licensed attorney review before use.

Step 0: Gather Context

Before drafting anything, ask:

1. What industry? — Health-tech, fintech, SaaS, marketplace, etc. (determines regulatory requirements)
2. What jurisdiction? — US (which state), EU (GDPR), UK, etc.
3. What data do you collect? — PII, PHI, financial data, usage data
4. B2B or B2C? — Changes liability, dispute resolution, language complexity
5. Existing docs? — Read current terms, privacy policy, contracts before drafting new ones

Step 1: Review Existing Documents

If the company has existing legal documents:

• Read them fully before proposing changes
• Identify gaps vs current requirements
• Note outdated clauses (e.g., pre-GDPR privacy language)
• Preserve custom clauses the company specifically negotiated
• Flag conflicts between documents (privacy policy says X, terms say Y)

Document Templates

Terms of Service

Section	Must Include
Service description	What you provide, what you don't
User obligations	Acceptable use, account responsibility
Payment terms	Billing, refunds, cancellation
IP ownership	Who owns what — your platform vs their data
Limitation of liability	Cap at fees paid, exclude consequential damages
Termination	How either party can end the relationship
Dispute resolution	Arbitration vs litigation, jurisdiction
Changes to terms	How you notify users of updates

Privacy Policy

Section	Must Include
Data collected	Specific types, not "we may collect information"
How it's used	Each purpose explicitly stated
Who it's shared with	Third parties by name/category
Retention period	How long, why, and deletion process
User rights	Access, deletion, portability (GDPR/CCPA)
Security measures	Encryption, access controls (high level)
Cookie policy	What cookies, what for, how to opt out
Contact	DPO or privacy contact email

Industry-Specific Requirements

Industry	Additional Requirements
Health-tech	HIPAA BAA, PHI handling, breach notification, patient consent
Fintech	PCI DSS compliance, financial data handling, regulatory disclosures
EdTech	COPPA (if under 13), FERPA (student records), parental consent
Marketplace	Seller terms, buyer protection, dispute resolution between parties
AI/ML	Data usage for training disclosure, algorithmic transparency, bias

Contractor & Employment

Document	When Needed
IP Assignment	Every contractor and employee — before they write code
NDA	Before sharing proprietary information
Contractor Agreement	Any non-employee doing work — scope, payment, IP, termination
Advisor Agreement	Equity grants, time commitment, confidentiality
Employment Offer	Salary, equity, benefits, at-will status, IP assignment

Critical: IP assignment must be signed BEFORE work begins. Retroactive assignment is legally weaker.

Open Source Licensing

License	Can Use In Commercial Product?	Must Open Source Your Code?
MIT	Yes	No
Apache 2.0	Yes	No (but patent grant)
BSD	Yes	No
LGPL	Yes (if dynamically linked)	Only modifications to the library
GPL	Yes	Yes — entire derivative work
AGPL	Yes	Yes — even for SaaS (network use)

Rules:

• Audit dependencies: license-checker (npm) or pip-licenses (Python)
• GPL/AGPL in your dependency tree = your code may need to be open source
• When in doubt, use MIT for your own projects

Drafting Rules

1. Plain language. If a user can't understand it, it won't hold up well and it erodes trust.
2. Specific over vague. "We retain data for 24 months" not "We retain data as needed."
3. Match what you actually do. Don't copy Google's terms — your practices are different.
4. Version and date. Every document has a "Last updated" date and version number.
5. Consistent terminology. If the privacy policy says "Personal Data," terms should too.