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Is Your Startup Ready for a General Counsel?
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A self-assessment for founders navigating legal complexity
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HOW IT WORKS
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Answer each question by selecting from the dropdown in column D. Your score updates automatically in the Results tab. Takes about 5 minutes.
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SECTION 1: LEGAL VOLUME & COMPLEXITY
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1How many contracts does your company review or negotiate per month?3-8 (moderate)2
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2How many different types of legal matters are you handling simultaneously?3-4 (contracts + employment + IP)2
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3How often do legal questions come up that require immediate attention?Often (weekly)3
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SECTION 2: STAGE & GROWTH
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4What is your company's current stage?Series A3
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5How many full-time employees do you have?16-403
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6Are you actively fundraising or planning to within the next 6 months?Actively preparing3
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SECTION 3: GOVERNANCE & COMPLIANCE
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7Do you have a board of directors with outside members?Active board with 1-2 outside members3
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8How would you describe your cap table management?Complex (multiple rounds0
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9How are you handling employment and HR legal compliance?Using templates from the internet2
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SECTION 4: CURRENT LEGAL SETUP
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10How are you currently handling legal work?0
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11How much are you spending on outside legal counsel annually?0
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12How much founder time goes to managing legal matters each week?0
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SECTION 5: RISK EXPOSURE
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13Has your company ever been surprised by a legal issue you didn't see coming?0
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14How confident are you that your IP is properly assigned and protected?0
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15If a VC ran diligence on your company tomorrow, how ready would you be?0
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YOUR TOTAL SCORE21/ 60
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Your legal needs are manageable with a good outside counsel relationship.
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YOUR RESULT
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15-25You're in good shape with outside counsel on an as-needed basis.Focus on finding a great startup attorney who knows your space. You don't need dedicated legal leadership yet, but keep this assessment handy as you scale.
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26-40You're in the gray zone. Legal complexity is outpacing your current setup.This is where most founders start losing time and money to uncoordinated legal work. An outsourced GC or fractional legal leader could bring structure without the cost of a full-time hire.
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41-60You need dedicated legal leadership. The complexity is real and it's only going to increase.At this level, you're either spending too much on ad hoc legal, taking on risk you can't see, or burning founder time that should go to building. Whether that's a full-time GC or an outsourced model depends on budget and stage.
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acevedoventurelaw.com
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