

Ask HN: Long time user, need some discreet legal advice  - helpmeout7

Hey guys,<p>I have been around HN for several years and comment fairly regularly, but need some advice under an anonymous name today. I hope you can point me in the right direction.<p>I have gotten myself into a shitty co-founder situation, one that could have been avoided with proper diligence. In a nutshell, our founding team decided that a co-founder should be let go at a very early stage and we now face potential IP disputes. Our lawyer has a personal relationship with this co-founder, so the remaining founders are in need of third party legal consultation as soon as possible.<p>If you can recommend a US-based lawyer well-versed in early stage startups (or are a lawyer yourself with relevant expertise), I would love to talk to you today. Yes, we have money, and yes, there will probably be a lot of work to do. Please get in touch at helpmeout7.hn@gmail.com
======
steventruong
A bit off from what you're asking for but in the future, I would find an
attorney that

a) does not have a personal relationship with any cofounder (hopefully already
obvious in hindsight) but...

b) more importantly, represents the company and not the individual founders.
its important that you guys understand if something happens, good attorneys
will disclose they're representing the company, not you. If it comes down to
it, they'll gladly sue you in the interest of the company. As ironic as that
sounds, personal attorneys and corporate attorneys should be separated.

