

Ask HN: How do I go about getting T&C's for my new startup? - aagha

I&#x27;m bootstrapping a company and have landed some customers, but need T&amp;C&#x27;s to present to their legal departments.  What&#x27;s the best way to go about creating T&amp;C&#x27;s and a Privacy Statement for my new company?
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anigbrowl
Consult a lawyer, of course. You could pull in the T&Cs from firms that seem
similar to yours, analyze them, learn a bit about contract law, and aggregate
them to match your preferences, but the cost of the time you'll have to spend
is quite likely to exceed the cost of getting a lawyer to modify some
boilerplate to your particular needs.

You could also consider looking for a legal team member or mentor that could
either contribute directly or steer you towards an attorney experienced in
this space. As I've said for a while, having a plan for your legal needs is
just as important as having one for server infrastructure etc. There are more
legal grads than there are legal jobs at present so this might a good time to
seek a business-minded cofounder with legal training.

If you're not sure where to start, call the bar association in your state and
ask for a referral. You could also consult DIY legal texts such as the NOLO
series, which are often quite well written and helpful, but knowing nothing
about your business it's very hard to say how well or badly they'd fit your
needs. Also, they're mainly aimed at consumers so I don't know if they'll cut
it for B2B stuff.

The Small Business Administration has general resources:
[http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-
ma...](http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/starting-managing-
business/managing-business/business-law-regulations) or this affordable book
provides an excellent introduction to the general principles of business law
and the sort of situations any business owner should be prepared to encounter
(the whole series is good in fact): [http://www.amazon.com/Business-Law-
Barrons-Review-Series/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Business-Law-Barrons-
Review-Series/dp/0764142402)

