The 10 Best Legal Tools & Services For Startups

Better Legal is one of the best business incorporation platforms if you’re looking to open an LLC or an INC in the USA. It provides the legal tools you need to set up and launch your business in just two business days.

The best part is that the platform does most of the work like generating all the necessary legal documents for you, getting your EIN (tax ID) from the IRS, and filing all the paperwork.

The process is simple and doesn’t take too much of your time.

All you’ve to do is fill in their questionnaire where you tell them about your company. They’ll then prepare all the paperwork and legal documents required and send them to you through your email.

• There are no hidden fees. You pay one flat fee, which covers everything from filing your paperwork to getting your Employer Identification Number (EIN).
• Depending on your business structure, you can create an operating agreement (for LLCs) or bylaws (for Corporations). These documents are important for outlining how your business will be run.
• You also get one year of registered agent service, which is important for receiving legal documents and notices on behalf of your business.

While BetterLegal is a great tool for helping your startup get registered, it can be quite expensive if you're on a limited budget. Also, it doesn't offer as much customisation or extra-legal guidance as some businesses might need.

Rocket Lawyer is a trustworthy platform you can use to access millions of legal documents, information, and advice for your business. With this platform, you can utilise various legal tools to create any type of legal document you need. Whether you're making contracts, agreements, wills, or business formation documents, there are several professionally designed templates available for everything.

All the templates are customisable so you can make changes in them and create documents that fulfill your specific needs.

Best part is that you can also get your documents reviewed by licensed attorneys. This makes sure that your documents are lawfully correct and ready to use.

• It guides you through the whole document creation process. You just have to answer some questions, and Rocket Lawyer will handle the rest.
• It offers e-signature features so you can sign documents digitally.
• It also provides a "Legal Health Score" for your business. This helps you spot any areas where you might need to do better legally, like updating contracts or filing certain documents.

Rocket Lawyer is great for generating general legal documents, but if you have a more complex legal issue, you will need a specialised attorney. Also, while it’s affordable, the monthly fee may be a downside for small startups on a limited budget.

Markify is a trademark search and monitoring tool that serves as one of the essential legal tools to help you protect your brand’s trademark globally. It helps you make sure that your brand name, logo, or slogan isn’t already in use or being copied by someone else. You can get weekly reports about any new trademarks or domains that might be too confusingly similar to yours. This helps you stay ahead and take any actions if needed.

With Markify,

• You can search for existing trademarks across many databases.
• The platform lets you search for image trademarks as well using advanced technology to find similar images.
• You can search trademark databases from around the world, making it a great tool for businesses that operate in multiple countries.
• If you need to use Markify's search and monitoring tools within your own system, you can access them through an API.

While Markify is a very useful tool for businesses, it is a bit on the pricier side compared to some other basic search tools. Also, it can only help with search and monitoring trademarks so you might still need a lawyer to handle the rest.a

LegalSifter is a valuable legal tool when it comes to reviewing and proofreading legal contracts and agreements. It uses AI to reduce contract reviewing time by up to 80%, which is very helpful for managing contracts. The best part about using LegalSifter is that it not only reads and reviews your contracts but also identifies anything that's missing and gives you contextual advice and suggestions to make the contract better and suitable for professional use.

Other than that,

• You can also customise the AI's advice to fit your specific business needs and legal requirements.
• You can share your documents with your team or lawyers to get feedback and work together in real-time.
• You can trust that your documents are safe and secure, as the platform follows industry standards for protecting data.

LegalSifter is good at finding issues in contracts, but for more complex contracts or negotiations, you may still need a lawyer. Some users find it less easy to use than traditional methods.

When you’re running a startup, legal issues can come up unexpectedly, and UpCounsel provides the legal tools to help you handle them. It’s a platform that connects startups with a huge network of experienced lawyers who can provide the legal services you need, whenever you need them.

Whether you need to create legal contracts, deal with intellectual property-related issues, or get any sort of legal advice, UpCounsel can help you find the right expert for your needs. There are more than thousands of licensed professionals on that platform ready to help startups in need.

It offers many benefits and features like:

• You can get custom proposals from multiple lawyers and choose the one that best suits your needs.
• You can see the prices clearly before choosing, so you know exactly how much you'll have to pay before hiring a lawyer.
• You can read reviews and ratings from other clients to help you pick a trustworthy lawyer.
• You can communicate securely with your lawyer through the platform, share documents, and manage your legal projects safely.

UpCounsel carefully filters its lawyers, but the quality of service can differ. So, make sure to review proposals and feedback from past clients before choosing a lawyer.

TermsFeed helps you create important legal agreements for your business, such as privacy policies, terms and conditions, cookie consent notices, and more. It helps you comply with privacy laws without having to spend money on hiring legal experts. You can easily generate customised documents by answering simple questions about your business; Termsfeed does most of the work for you. The platform also keeps your agreements up-to-date with changing laws.

• Laws are constantly changing, but TermsFeed automatically updates your documents so you can stay compliant without having to keep track of changes yourself.
• Once you've generated your documents, you can easily integrate them into your website or app using a simple link or HTML code.
• TermsFeed offers flexible payment options, including a one-time payment for document generation or a subscription plan that includes ongoing updates and access to new documents as your business evolves.
• Termsfeed is a helpful tool for creating important documents, but it has some limitations. While the documents are tailored to your business, they might not offer the same level of customisation as those created by a lawyer.

VirgilHR is the best platform to help you manage labour law compliance so you don't accidentally do something that goes against the law. With this, you don't have to manually keep up with labour laws like minimum wage changes, overtime rules, or required breaks. It gives you time-to-time updates on any changes in labour laws country-wise. You can get consultancy services to keep yourself informed about laws that are specifically relevant to your startup.

With the help of VirgilHR’s AI, you can also check and make sure your company's HR practices comply with current regulations.

• VirgilHR can help you correctly classify your employees as either employees or independent contractors, to avoid any potential legal problems.
• The platform provides a clear and easy-to-use dashboard that shows you where you stand with compliance, highlights areas that need attention, and gives you actionable advice to help you manage your compliance responsibilities.
• You can set up custom alerts to notify you when there are changes to specific laws that affect your business, so you can quickly take action to stay compliant.

While Virgilhr offers many benefits, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. The pricing can be a stretch if you’re a really small business or startup with a tight budget. Also, it can take a little time to get the hang of the software, especially if you’re new to AI-powered tools.

If you want an easy and secure way to digitally sign contracts and agreements, Dropbox Sign is perfect for you. With this tool, you can manage and track document signatures online. You can sign important documents from anywhere, it saves your time and also speeds up things like closing deals.

Electronic signatures made with Dropbox Sign are legally valid and comply with laws in the US and EU, so you can confidently use them for signing important documents. They hold the same weight as regular pen-paper signatures.

• You can easily upload documents, add signature fields, and send them out for signatures. It works with many types of files, including PDFs and Word documents.
• If you often use the same contracts or agreements, you can create reusable templates in Dropbox Sign. This saves time and makes it easy to send out documents for signing without starting from scratch.
• Multiple people can edit, comment, and track who has signed, which is helpful for businesses with multiple team members who need to review or approve documents.
• Every document signed with Dropbox Sign comes with a detailed record of actions, like when it was sent, viewed, and signed. This helps you keep track of the signing process and adds an extra layer of security.

Like any other tool, Dropbox Sign has some drawbacks. You need a stable internet connection to use it, which could be a problem if you’re in areas with poor connectivity.

Also, while Dropbox Sign offers basic features at an affordable price, you'll have to pay to access more advanced features like custom branding or integrations with other tools.

If you’re a startup in the U.S. you should know about Copyright.gov– an official website of the U.S. that helps you register copyrights for your original work. You can use it to legally protect things like your company’s logos, articles, images, videos or software code. This is important because it gives you official proof of ownership of your creative assets. You can easily register your work on this website and protect your intellectual property against unauthorized use or copying by others.

Other than that,

• You can learn about copyright laws, how to register your work, and what to do if someone uses your work without permission.
• When you register your work, anyone can look it up on Copyright.gov's website. This proves you own it if you ever need to go to court.
• You can also use it to check if someone else has already copyrighted something similar to your work. This helps you make sure your idea is new and doesn't copy someone else's.
• You can do most of the copyright registration online. You can fill out forms, pay fees, and upload your work through their website. This makes it easier and faster for you to protect your creations.

While Copyright.gov is a highly useful website keep in mind that it mainly protects work in the U.S.; it doesn't protect work in other countries. You may need to take extra steps for international protection. Also, even though the registration process is simpler now, it can still take several months from submission to approval.

Insureon is an online marketplace that helps you find insurance for your startup to protect your business from potential risks. The platform has a variety of insurance policies that you can choose from. You also have the option to compare different insurance policies from various providers, making it easier to choose the right coverage for your business.

Having proper insurance can protect your startup from sudden risks like lawsuits or accidents, so it’s a really useful legal tool you shouldn’t miss.

• You can get different types of insurance for your startup from Insureon. They offer coverage for general business risks, property insurance, employee compensation, cyber attacks and more.
• It's quick and easy to apply for insurance on Insureon's website. You just answer some questions about your business and what kind of insurance you want. Then, it quickly shows you policies that fit your needs.
• You can talk to trained insurance experts as well. They can give you personal advice and help you understand which insurance is right for you.
• If something happens and you need to use your insurance, Insureon helps you through the process. They make sure your claim is handled quickly and fairly.

Before using Insureon, there are some things you should be aware of. Insureon mainly serves U.S.-based startups, so if your business operates internationally, you may need to look for other coverage options.

Also, the final cost of insurance can vary a lot depending on your business’s specific risks and location, which can result in higher premiums for some startups.