What to prepare before you meet a business lawyer
For education only. Not legal advice. Tellbrief is not a law firm.
Most first meetings start with the lawyer asking you to explain the business. Have the answers ready and the meeting can start with your actual question.
Start with what’s changing
Lawyers want to know why you’re calling now. Be ready to say, in one or two sentences, what is happening: a first big customer, a retailer, a hire, an investor, a lease. Include the date that matters, if there is one.
The facts to have ready
- The legal name of your company, where it’s formed, and who owns it (and in what percentages).
- The other side: who you’re dealing with, and their company name.
- What you sell, who buys it, and how money changes hands.
- Who built the important things: code, designs, recipes, content. Employees, contractors or founders?
- Any document you have already been sent or signed for this deal.
- The one question you most want answered.
Documents worth pulling
You don’t need everything. Pull what the lawyer is likely to ask for: formation documents, any ownership or founder agreements, the contract you were sent, and agreements with the people or companies who built your product.
Why it matters
Time spent rebuilding the basics on the call is time not spent on your question.
What to leave out at first
Follow the lawyer’s lead on what to share before they’ve checked for conflicts.
Questions
Do I need to bring every contract I have ever signed?
No. Bring the documents connected to what’s changing, plus formation and ownership records. Your lawyer will ask for more if needed.
Should I write a summary before the meeting?
Yes, if you can keep it short: what’s changing, who is involved, the deadline, and your main question. Tellbrief builds this summary for you from plain-English answers.
Get your lawyer up to speed before the first call
About 30 questions, most of them one tap, free and with no account. Tellbrief turns your answers into a brief your lawyer can work from, and you keep a copy.
Start your brief →For education only. This article is general information for founders, not legal advice, and reading it doesn’t make you anyone’s client. Tellbrief is not a law firm. For advice about your situation, talk to a licensed lawyer.