Pitching/Decks
10 Startup Pitch Tips

In my role as a venture attorney, I receive a handful of pitch decks each week and see hundreds of pitches each year. I see these pitches in my office, at pitch days, at startup events, at workshops, etc. As […]


Crowdfunding
SEC Releases Long-Standing Proposed Crowdfunding Rules

Finally! Ten months after they were supposed to be released, the SEC released the proposed crowdfunding rules to the general public on October 23, 2013. The proposed rules are currently in the middle of the 90-day comment period, and as […]


Fantasy Sports & Gaming
Why Playing Fantasy Sports Is Legal (For The Most Part)

You’ve certainly seen or heard about them, and you may even participate in a few yourself. With tens of millions of participants per season, Fantasy Sports Leagues are a billion-dollar industry that are slowly becoming an American obsession. Most recently, […]


The Company Agreement Explained
The Company Agreement Explained: Member-Managed v. Manager-Managed

Before you form an LLC, you should determine the management structure of your LLC. In Texas, there are two options: member-managed or manager-managed. Before we delve into the difference between the two, let’s back up a bit and first discuss […]


Funding & Capital Raising
How Lifting The Solicitation Ban Benefits Startups

On July 10, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission voted in favor of implementing a Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act provision that lifts the ban on general solicitation or general advertising for certain private security offerings to accredited investors. […]


General Business
How To Resolve Decisions In Deadlock

One may be the loneliest number, but two can be worse than one in the context of founders. Because we represent so many startups and small businesses, we end up drafting a lot of closely held Company Operating Agreements/Shareholder Agreements. […]


Intellectual Property
Why Your Primary Worry Should Be Execution, Not Confidentiality

I represent two startup founders with a brilliant idea that I think is going to disrupt a traditional everyday service. I’ve been working with them from day one to put their team and concept together. Early on, one of the […]


The Company Agreement Explained
The Company Agreement Explained: What Are Classes Of Members?

Having different classes of members is just like having different classes of stock in a corporation. Oftentimes, it’s a good idea to set out classes of members when you want members to have different rights or duties. Situations where setting […]


Intellectual Property
Who’s Your GoDaddy? (Company Domain Name Ownership)

Because of the nature of startups, most early steps are taken before a company is officially organized with the state. This includes registering the domain name. As a result, there is a good chance that one of the founders registered […]


Corporate Governance
How To Dissolve An LLC In Texas

There are a lot of reasons why members of a Limited Liability Company decide they no longer want the company to exist. But whatever the reason, simply making the decision to stop company operations does not make the LLC magically […]