Open Source Funding Documents

Cooley, one of the top startup law firms, has open sourced the legal documents required to do a Series Seed or Convertible Note financing.

Docracy

Docracy is an open collection of legal contracts. It also offers a comprehensive solution for having the documents verified and signed online.

Series Seed Documents

A decade ago, a company would need to raise a couple of million of dollars to create a new product and effectively bring it to market. Today that amount is dramatically smaller. The advent of cloud computing, open source software, platforms with APIs, and numerous other changes have lowered the cost of launching a new enterprise. For this reason, startup companies are … [ Read more ]

TechStars Model Seed Funding Documents

David Cohen, founder of TechStars, and Brad Feld worked closely with Cooley Godward Kronish, LLP to put together a set of “Model Seed Funding Documents” that anyone can use. There are five primary documents in the set:
* Term Sheet
* Articles of Incorporation
* Bylaws
* Subscription Agreement
* Election Consent

Of course, these are just example documents so all legal disclaimers about usage apply … [ Read more ]

WSGR Term Sheet Generator

This tool will generate a venture financing term sheet based on your responses to an online questionnaire. It also has an informational component, with basic tutorials and annotations on financing terms. This term sheet generator is a modified version of a tool that we use internally, which comprises one part of a suite of document automation tools that we use to generate start-up and venture … [ Read more ]

Feld Thoughts: Posts on Letters of Intent

Following up on the Term Sheet series, the Feld Thoughts blog offer a series on the Letter of Intent. As stated in the first post, “Deals have to start somewhere, and often the first real ‘document’ that gets negotiated after the foreplay turns serious is the infamous letter of intent…This sometimes delightful and usually non-binding document (except for things like a no shop agreement) is … [ Read more ]

onecle Free Sample Contracts

At no cost, Onecle provides a large number of sample contracts and similar legal documents, from consulting agreements to trusts and many other forms of agreements. [Brain Food annotation]

Playing By New Rules

CIO.com, has a whole section devoted to the complexities of compliance.

Securities Class Action Clearinghouse

The Securities Class Action Clearinghouse provides detailed information relating to the prosecution, defense, and settlement of federal class action securities fraud litigation. The Clearinghouse maintains an Index of Filings of 1763 issuers that have been named in federal class action securities fraud lawsuits since passage of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Clearinghouse also contains copies of more than 2000 complaints, briefs, … [ Read more ]

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Ira Millstein of this law firm is a leading source on international governance issues. Examples of useful material include an Overview of Corporate Governance Guidelines & Codes of Best Practice In Developing & Emerging Markets by Holly Gregory. Also, on the site is a comparison of EU governance codes. Click on What’s New and scroll down for a comparison on the codes.

Partnering Agreements

This organization helps companies review, draft and negotiate Partnering Agreements, including the 11 most common types of agreements:
1. Marketing Agreements
2. Distribution Agreements
3. License Agreements
4. R&D Agreements
5. Manufacturing/Supply Agreements
6. Outsourcing Agreements
7. Facilities Management
8. Personal and Corporate Guarantees
9. Letters of Credit
10. Proprietary Rights Agreements
11. Non-competition Agreements … [ Read more ]

marketinglaw.co.uk

marketinglaw.co.uk was Europe’s first dedicated on-line resource for advertising and marketing law, when it launched in September 1999. Now running to over 500 web pages, the site provides regularly updated information for brand-owners and marketing professionals, including in-depth analysis of the latest marketing and brand law issues, national and international case reports, previews of up-and-coming legislation affecting marketing, plus legal checklists and template agreements. … [ Read more ]

LawInfo.com

“LawInfo.com is the Internet’s oldest and most established resource for locating qualified attorneys and other helpful legal information. We have been providing visitors who need legal services with FREE solutions since 1995!

…LawInfo is constantly updating and adding to our FREE Legal Resource Center, where visitors can now find over 54,000 FREE legal forms, documents and FAQ’s that are easily downloaded and printed. These documents … [ Read more ]

BusinessLaw.gov

With a focus on providing legal and regulatory information for small businesses, this site gathers up hard-to-find research and resources into one useful package for time- and cash-strapped small business owners. Topics range from plain English guides to starting (or ending) a business and managing employees to specialized issues such as e-commerce and exporting.

The site also acts as a gateway to federal, state and local … [ Read more ]

Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures

Good employee selection techniques were described in 1978 when the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures were published. The ‘Guidelines’ incorporate a single set of principles which are designed to assist employers, labor organizations, employment agencies, and licensing and certification boards to comply with requirements of Federal law prohibiting employment practices which discriminate on grounds of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. They were … [ Read more ]

Hieros-Gamos

Site proclaims itself to be the #1 Legal Research Center. It certainly appears to offer a lot, including:
– Legal Employment Center
– Law Library & News Center
– Law Student Center
– Law Business Center
– Law Consumer Center
– Law Practice Center

Additionally, use the site to find attorneys, law firms, experts and consultants.

Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)

Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., the largest licenser of text reproduction rights in the world, was formed in 1978 to facilitate compliance with U.S. copyright law. CCC provides licensing systems for the reproduction and distribution of copyrighted materials in print and electronic formats throughout the world. The company currently manages rights relating to over 1.75 million works and represents more than 9,600 publishers and hundreds … [ Read more ]

The Upstart Small Business Legal Guide

An online book covering the legal basics of starting and running a business. Includes 20 chapters:
1. You and Your Attorney
2. How to Get Started in Business
3. How to Select the Best Business Form
4. How to Make Your Corporation Tax-Free
5. Buying or Selling a Business
6. Franchises
7. How to Save Time on … [ Read more ]

DennisKennedy.com

This site by Dennis Kennedy, an attorney and legal technology expert, offers many useful links, free copies of his articles and seminars, and a Legal Technology Primer e-book (free)

Mergers & Acquisitions Primer

Most large mergers and acquisitions are reviewed by the United States government prior to consummation. The two agencies reviewing these transactions are the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”). In order to provide a degree of predictability in those reviews, the agencies have promulgated a set of rules with regard to how the parties report their transactions to the government and … [ Read more ]