Fractional General Counsel for Startups & SMBs

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5 Contract Traps That Sink SMBs (and How to Avoid Them)

Small and mid-sized businesses often repeat the same mistakes: NDAs that do not match the data, missing work-made-for-hire clauses, ninety-day payment terms that choke cash flow, unfavorable jurisdictions, and boilerplate that quietly gives away rights. A short checklist and a few targeted fixes prevent most of these problems.

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Fractional General Counsel — Predictable Legal Spend, Real Business Impact

Senior legal support on a part-time retainer gives you clear monthly costs, faster decisions, and relief for your internal team. Typical engagements run three to twelve months, long enough to clean up contracts, align governance, and support financings or major deals. One timely insight often covers the fee many times over.

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NDAs That Work — When They Matter and When They Don’t

Use NDAs where they protect real value, such as in R&D and trade secrets, and keep them specific. Align the term with the data — longer for early research, shorter for production information. Short, clear definitions and simple permitted-use language are more enforceable than broad promises that try to cover everything.

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Licensing 101 — Turning Intellectual Property Into Income

Intellectual property can be an income stream, not just a cost. Set scope, field of use, reporting, and termination rights clearly, choose a royalty model that matches the market, and plan for audits. With the right structure, SMBs unlock revenue from technology and know-how they already possess.

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