Hiring Guide · a Lawyer or Attorney
How to Hire a Corporate Attorney for Business Setup
Hire a corporate attorney who has worked with companies at your stage and in your target jurisdiction — an attorney who handles venture-backed Delaware C-corps thinks about equity, dilution, and investor rights very differently from one who forms LLCs for local service businesses. Stage and entity type are the two most important fit factors.
Written by James Chae — Co-Founder, Expert Sapiens
Platform expertise: Legal services & attorney vetting · Reviewed June 2026
How to vet a specialist
Questions to ask
Ask these in any initial consultation to quickly separate strong candidates from weak ones.
1.Have you formed companies in my target jurisdiction with my entity type before, and what are the most common complications?
Why it matters: Jurisdiction-specific rules matter significantly. Delaware C-corps, California LLCs, and Korean LLCs each have unique governance requirements, and an attorney unfamiliar with your target jurisdiction will miss them.
2.Do you use standard SAFE or convertible note templates, or do you draft custom investment documents?
Why it matters: For early-stage companies, standard YC SAFE templates reduce negotiation time, investor friction, and legal cost. Custom documents are justified only when standard terms genuinely do not fit.
3.What is included in your formation package, and what will cost extra?
Why it matters: Formation quotes frequently exclude founders agreements, IP assignment agreements, cap table setup, and initial equity grants. Knowing what is out of scope prevents invoice surprises.
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