Venture Best provides legal support for startups

Dan Gawronski of Venture Best has been providing legal services for startups for over a decade.

Gawronski, an attorney with Venture Best, a division of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, recently discussed the unique legal needs of startups in a free workshop hosted at Ward4.

Venture Best is a top-ranked law firm in the startup sector and one of the most active in the Midwest. “We are a Goldilocks for startups,” Gawronski said, referring to the firm’s willingness to customize its services to meet the individual needs of the startups it works with.

Gawronski cautions founders to begin their emerging companies on sound legal footing.

Startups that hope to raise funds should be aware that the business must be legally classified as a corporation to fundraise. Startups initially established as Limited Liability Companies (LLC) must convert to corporations before fund-raising. While making the conversion is often as easy as filing documentation with the state, there are a myriad of legal and financial considerations that must be made before the conversion. Gawronski provided several examples of costly mistakes made by founders who did not carefully manage business assets and liabilities before converting their businesses to corporations.

During the discussion, Gawronski also shared cautionary tales of startups that did not plan for the dissolution of partnerships. He explained the many ways co-founders can prepare to professionally part ways in a way that protects the partners individually, and the company as a whole.

Intellectual property is another key consideration for startups, especially those that focus on technology and innovation. Early stage legal representation helps emerging companies ensure ownership of technical work done by contractors. Investors will avoid startups that do not have clear ownership of the technology that makes the company unique.

Funds are limited for most startups, and Venture Best understands that.

“We won’t nickel and dime you. We want to see you grow,” Gawronski said. The attorney has dedicated his practice to the growth and development of Milwaukee-based scalable, high-growth startups. He stresses that Venture Best provides services at “a fraction of the cost” of other firms, while providing unmatched experience in the startup space.

The cost to access legal services may not be as steep as many founders assume it is.

According to Gawronski, founders can establish a legal entity and provide partnership protections and plans for the evolution of the business for as little as $2,000.

To learn more about Venture Best and Dan Gawronski, connect with him here.

New businesses that do not require the robust legal services provided by Venture Best can find low-to-no cost legal services through the Marquette Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic.