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Patel Business Counsel Book an intro call

San Diego · Outside General Counsel

Legal that moves at startup speed.

Outside general counsel for founders and small businesses — entity formation, fundraising docs, contracts, and IP protection — on flat fees or a monthly plan. No surprise invoices.

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Flat fees, no surprise invoices Monthly plan or one-off engagement Founder-friendly Now onboarding new founders

What we do

The legal stack for early-stage companies.

Six practice areas. One relationship. We cover everything a growing company needs before they hire in-house counsel.

  • Entity Formation

    LLC, C-corp, or Delaware flip. We help you pick the right structure for your stage, draft your operating agreement or bylaws, and get you incorporation-ready — with explanations, not just forms.

  • Founder and Equity Docs

    Founder vesting schedules, 83(b) elections, restricted stock agreements, and cap table basics. Get the equity structure right before you add co-founders, employees, or investors.

  • Fundraising Documents

    SAFEs, convertible notes, and seed round paperwork. We draft, review, and explain every instrument — so you close faster and know what you signed.

  • Commercial Contracts

    MSAs, SOWs, NDAs, Terms of Service, Privacy Policies, and vendor agreements. Plain-language drafts that protect you without alienating your customers.

  • IP Protection

    Trademark registration and prosecution, IP assignment agreements for founders and contractors, and open-source policy review. Don't let your brand or codebase walk out the door.

  • Employment and Contractors

    Offer letters, employee handbook basics, contractor vs. employee classification, and independent contractor agreements. Build your team on a foundation that holds up.

Flat-fee menu

Know the price before you engage.

These are example prices for our most common one-off projects. Exact quotes provided at the intro call — scope determines the final number.

Service Price

Delaware C-corp formation (full package)

Includes bylaws, organizational minutes, and initial equity docs

$1,200 flat

California LLC formation

Operating agreement + CA filing

$750 flat

Delaware flip (CA LLC to DE C-corp)

Common pre-fundraise structure change

$1,800 flat

SAFE round paperwork (standard YC form)

Review, customization, and closing checklist

$600 flat

Convertible note (single investor)

$900 flat

Founder vesting agreement (per founder)

Includes 83(b) election instructions

$400 flat

Standard MSA or SaaS agreement

From $800 flat

Mutual NDA (template review + custom)

$350 flat

Contractor agreement (master)

Includes IP assignment clause

$450 flat

Terms of Service + Privacy Policy (bundle)

For early-stage SaaS or consumer apps

$1,100 flat

Trademark application (federal, one class)

USPTO fees typically $250–$350 per class

$900 + USPTO fees

IP assignment agreement (for founders/contractors)

$300 flat

All fees are quoted before work begins. Invoiced at project close, not hourly.

Monthly outside GC plans

Predictable legal spend. No hourly surprises.

Flat monthly plans that give you attorney access whenever you need it. Cancel anytime, no contracts.

  • Starter

    $499 /month

    For pre-revenue founders who need legal access without a retainer.

    • 2 hours of attorney counsel per month
    • 1 contract review per month (up to 15 pages)
    • Email access, response within 2 business days
    • Access to contract template library
    • Monthly rollover — unused hours carry over once

    Response time

    2 business days

    Get started
  • Most popular

    Growth

    $1,200 /month

    For seed-stage and early revenue businesses moving fast and signing deals.

    • 5 hours of attorney counsel per month
    • 3 contract reviews per month (up to 25 pages each)
    • Email and Slack access, response within 1 business day
    • Priority scheduling for calls
    • Access to full contract template library
    • Quarterly cap table and equity check-in

    Response time

    1 business day

    Get started

  • Scale

    $2,400 /month

    For Series A and beyond — or businesses signing multiple deals per week.

    • 10 hours of attorney counsel per month
    • Unlimited contract reviews (standard length)
    • Same-day email and Slack responses
    • Dedicated point of contact
    • Quarterly legal audit and compliance review
    • Board meeting prep and corporate minutes

    Response time

    Same day

    Get started

All plans billed monthly. Cancel anytime with 30 days notice. Hours do not carry over between calendar months on Starter (one rollover exception noted above).

Template library

Starting points that are actually solid.

Every subscriber gets access to our attorney-reviewed template library — annotated drafts with explanations of what each clause does and when to push back. These are starting points, not final documents.

  • Contracts

    Mutual NDA

    Standard bilateral non-disclosure for early-stage conversations.

  • Contracts

    One-Way NDA

    For sharing your proprietary info with vendors or prospects.

  • Contracts

    Independent Contractor Agreement

    With IP assignment, non-solicitation, and deliverable terms.

  • Contracts

    Master Services Agreement

    Client-facing services framework with SOW structure.

  • Contracts

    SaaS Subscription Agreement

    License grant, acceptable use, SLA, and termination terms.

  • Fundraising

    Term Sheet Checklist

    What every line item in a VC term sheet actually means.

  • Fundraising

    SAFE Summary Explainer

    Plain-English walkthrough of YC SAFE valuation caps and MFN.

  • Equity

    Founder Vesting Summary

    4-year / 1-year cliff explained with common edge cases.

  • Equity

    83(b) Election Guide

    Step-by-step instructions for timely filing — a filing many founders miss.

  • IP

    IP Assignment Agreement

    Assigns pre-company IP from founders and contractors into the entity.

  • IP

    Open-Source Policy Template

    Sets rules for using and contributing to OSS in your codebase.

  • Employment

    Offer Letter (At-Will)

    Clean offer letter for W-2 employees with equity grant placeholder.

Templates are available to Starter, Growth, and Scale subscribers. One-off clients receive relevant templates as part of their project deliverables.

Fundraising

Close your round without the legal drag.

Most early-stage rounds use a SAFE or convertible note — instruments that are standard enough that the paperwork should not slow you down. We draft them fast, explain every term, and flag any unusual provisions an investor tries to slip in.

For priced rounds, we work alongside your lead investor's counsel to review and negotiate the term sheet, purchase agreement, and investor rights agreement — without letting legal fees eat into your raise.

IP Protection

Protect your IP before investors ask about it.

Two things kill IP due diligence: co-founders who built IP before the company was formed and never assigned it over, and contractors who wrote code without a proper IP assignment clause. Both are easy to fix early and expensive to fix late.

We also register and prosecute trademarks — your brand name and logo are business assets. Filing early protects your priority date and locks out similar marks before you scale into new markets.

Intro call

30 minutes. No sales pitch. Just answers.

Tell us where you are and what you're trying to do. We'll tell you what legal work actually matters at your stage and what can wait. If we're a fit, we'll send you a scope and a flat-fee quote.

  • Formation and equity questions answered
  • Plain-language explanation of what you need
  • No obligation — scope and quote after the call

FAQ

Questions founders usually ask first.

  • What does "outside general counsel" actually mean?

    You get a dedicated attorney who knows your company — instead of calling a law firm cold every time something comes up. For a monthly fee, we handle routine legal questions, contract reviews, and ad hoc counsel the same way an in-house GC would, without the full-time salary.

  • Do I need a monthly plan, or can I just do a one-off project?

    Both work. The flat-fee menu covers discrete projects — formation, a SAFE round, a trademark. The subscription makes more sense once you are signing contracts regularly, adding employees, or raising money and need faster turnaround and ongoing access.

  • Should I form a Delaware C-corp or a California LLC?

    If you plan to raise VC or angel money, Delaware C-corp is the standard investors expect. If you are a service business, agency, or solo founder not planning to raise, an LLC is simpler and cheaper to maintain. We help you make this call in the intro call.

  • When is the right time to hire outside counsel?

    Earlier than most founders think. Before you add a co-founder, before you hire your first contractor, before you take any outside money. The cheap decisions are the ones you make before the paperwork gets complicated.

  • Are your contract templates the same as what I can find online?

    No. They are starting points that have been reviewed and customized for California and Delaware law, current fundraising norms, and common founder edge cases. Subscribers get annotated versions that explain what each clause does and when to negotiate it.

Clients and reviews

Client results and logos

Client logos and case results appear here at launch.

We don't display fabricated testimonials or stock-photo logos. Real client results, with permission, are added here once the firm is accepting clients. Currently onboarding new founders.