招聘指南 · 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.
Typical rate range$1,500–$5,000 for LLC or corporation formation packages; additional $2,000–$8,000 for investor agreement and cap table setup
How to vet a specialist
Confirm direct experience with your target entity type in your jurisdiction — LLC, C-corp, and S-corp formation carry different tax elections, governance structures, and investor implications
For venture-backed startups, look for attorneys with direct experience structuring SAFEs, convertible notes, and term sheets, not just general corporate formation
Ask whether they use standard templates (YC SAFE, NVCA) or draft custom documents — for early-stage companies, standard templates reduce investor friction and legal cost
Confirm the fee structure covers your full formation scope, not just state filing fees — founders agreements, IP assignment, and bylaws are commonly excluded from quoted packages
Verify they can handle post-formation needs such as board resolutions, cap table maintenance, and equity grants, or will need to refer you elsewhere
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.
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