Startup Lawyers

“We are Startup Lawyers with a passion for Startups”

 Protect your valuable new idea and secure your financial structure

LaunchPad for Startups is a package provided by Startup Lawyers, Nicholls Legal and accounting experts Belleville Smith & Co, which brings together all of the expertise you need to successfully launch your startup.

Why LaunchPad for Startups?

We understand that funding and cashflow can be tight during startup phase, so we have designed our LaunchPad for Startups pricing to manage your costs from the start and to match your needs as you grow. With LaunchPad for Startups, you don’t just get DIY template agreements that often don’t meet your needs, nor do you pay for the high-rise overheads of the larger firms.  We provide tailored packages at affordable rates. As Startup Lawyers, we assist numerous startups with business and financial structuring, intellectual property protection and advice and all necessary agreements.  This includes:

  • all forms of startup agreements, including terms sheets, shareholder agreements, funding agreements, online terms of use, e-commerce terms, privacy policies and confidentiality agreements (NDAs)
  • more complex business agreements, such as business/major asset sale and acquisition, supply, distribution, agency, joint venture, intellectual property and technology development and exploitation, technology assignments and transfers, licensing and outsourcing
  • employment agreements, key person/executive management agreements and share incentive schemes
  • advice and protection of new ideas and products: copyright, trade marks, confidentiality and trade secrets
  • privacy advice
  • sale and purchase of domain names and advising in relation to auDA domain name policies
  • business setup: structuring, tax and asset protection advice, ABN/TFN/GST/PAYG registration, company incorporation/trust setup and registered office services.

Experience that counts

As a startup, you need the confidence and peace of mind of dealing with the experts.  Our LaunchPad for Startups team have a combined 40+ years legal and accounting experience in dealing with business structures and commercial and technology law.

Matthew Nicholls

Startup Lawyers Matthew Nicholls LLB(Melb)(Hons) BCom(Melb) is the principal of Nicholls Legal.  Matthew has extensive expertise and over 20 years’ experience as a Startup Lawyer in Technology & Communications Law.  His background includes practising in the technology and intellectual property departments in major national law firms Clayton Utz and Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

Matthew has earned a reputation as a lateral thinker, as a commercial lawyer and has produced a number of industry firsts in the areas of e-commerce transactions and telecommunications regulation.

 

Timothy Smith

Tim Smith

Timothy Smith is a Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) and a director of Belleville Smith & Co.  He has expertise in the area of Australian tax compliance and general business advice.  Timothy has extensive experience in tax return preparation for individuals, corporations, partnerships, trusts and self-managed superannuation funds.     These are just some of the startup matters that we have worked on:

  • assisting numerous startups to set up their business, prepare online terms of use, e-commerce terms and privacy policies
  • assisting an online startup in the charities field
  • assisting various online startups in the area of online bulk buying/deal programmes
  • acting for an educational institution in relation to establishing a technology joint venture
  • advising a client in relation to commercial exploitation of a software application that predicts people’s language and ethnicity based on their name
  • advising a client in relation to commercial exploitation of a software application that determines key influencers amongst members of a social network
  • negotiating and drafting all forms of commercial and business agreements, including business/major asset sale and acquisition, supply, distribution, agency, joint venture, technology development and exploitation, technology assignments and transfers, outsourcing, facilities management and confidentiality agreements
  • negotiating and drafting employment agreements, key person/management agreements and share incentive schemes
  • sale and purchase of domain names
  • advising in relation to auDA domain name policies.

Services and Pricing

Our LaunchPad for Startups packages are designed to match your funding and cashflow needs during startup phase and beyond. We keep your costs low by keeping our costs low with low overheads and direct-client relationships.  We are competitive because we are experienced professionals who get the job done without having to keep armies of junior associates busy. Every startup is unique, so we don’t try to lock you into services you don’t need.  Let us tailor a package to meet your needs, based on the following typical startup phases.

Phase 1 – getting started:

  • FREE initial consultation
  • initial agreements – fixed price and fully customised to your business (discount of 10% for 2 docs, or 15% for 3 or more docs (excluding NDA)):
    • shareholders’/unitholders’ agreement: $2,500
    • loan/investor agreement: $2,500
    • director/employment/contractor agreement: $2,000
    • website/online terms of use and privacy policy: $2,500
    • confidentiality agreement (NDA): $450
  • accounting package – fixed price incorporation of company, application for TFN & ABN, registered office service and initial review of asset protection: $990.

Phase 2 – getting going:

  • more complex agreements – fully customised to your business (discount of 10% for 2 docs, or 15% for 3 or more docs):
    • supplier agreement: from $2,500
    • distribution/partner agreement: from $2,500
    • master services agreement: from $2,500
    • master/sub-licensing agreement: from $2,000
    • sale/purchase of business agreement: from $4,000
    • plus others as required
  • fixed price comprehensive intellectual property audit: from $2,000 (excluding follow-on work)
  • competitive fees for trade mark searching, preparation and filing: check out our Fees page
  • discounted professional fees during startup phase (the first 12 months from initial consultation):
    • legal advice: hourly rate fixed at $400 (standard rate $450)
    • accounting and tax advice, including all compliance requirements, preparation and lodgement of Business Activity Statements, Income Tax Returns, ASIC filings, Financials Reports and accounting and taxation advice are completed: hourly rate fixed at $275 (standard rate $350).

Phase 3 – getting on with it:

  • ongoing advice: we don’t just want to help you startup, we also want to grow with you, so we strive to be your trusted advisors no matter what issues may come your way.

What’s your next move to protect your valuable new idea and secure your financial structure?

Click below to book your FREE consultation and get Launchpad for Startups NOW!

Book Your FREE Consultation NOW!   Notes:

  1. All prices are ex GST.
  2. All accounting and taxation services are provided by Belleville Smith & Co.