The founder’s law library.
Plain-English guides from the attorneys who build Story — fundraising, equity, formation, and working with lawyers.
Founder DIY Guide
The step-by-step path through the legal work a new company actually has to do — free, and in order.
What actually happens when your startup gets sued
A map of American civil litigation, drawn to scale. The boxes are sized by what they cost you.
Fundraising
5 guidesSeries A, explained
What it is, when it's time, and why Preferred Stock isn't just more stock.
Series A diligence: the 3 docs VCs want
Cap table, IP ownership, revenue proof — what VCs check first.
Cap-table detox
Clean ownership math before your Series A.
Data rooms: Marie-Kondo your docs before diligence
Organize your data room before diligence to cut delays and legal fees.
SAFEs: what they are + how they convert
A founder-friendly explanation of SAFEs and conversion in an equity financing.
Equity
3 guidesStartup equity, explained
Equity instruments explained for smart founders, not lawyers.
Early exercise & founder-trap equity decisions
Why early exercise, long windows, and acceleration often hurt more than they help.
Restricted stock vs. options
Why Aegis defaults to options for employees — the key differences.
Entity Formation
4 guidesWhat a corporation is (and how to form one)
Entity formation guide for Delaware C-corps.
S corporations: the tax election your accountant forgot to explain
Understanding S-corp elections for startups.
Forming an LLC for a US startup
For angel-to-Series-A startups considering an LLC.
The Delaware flip
What a flip actually means for non-US founders raising from US investors.
Employment
2 guidesIndependent contractor vs. W-2 employee
The risk-first guide for startup founders on worker classification.
Class-Action Proof Your California Startup
How to prevent wage-and-hour class actions and PAGA claims before they start.
Legal Strategy
3 guidesLegal process matters
Templates vs. documents vs. processes for startup founders.
Get value from lawyers without going broke
How B2B startup founders actually work with outside counsel.
Securities exemptions: Form D vs. blue sky vs. no action
Your options for exempting investment securities — a US startup guide.
Contracting with Software Engineers
5 guidesContract terms every founder should require from a dev agency
The clause-by-clause breakdown: scope, payment, acceptance, IP, warranty, and what to push for in each.
Who owns the code your agency builds?
Paying for code doesn’t make you the owner. Assignment vs. license vs. work made for hire, explained.
Writing acceptance criteria for a dev project
How tight your spec needs to be to hold a dev shop to a working result, not just hours spent.
Warranty and support terms to require from a dev agency
What a warranty actually buys you, when to negotiate a longer window, and when to pay for a support retainer instead.
Subcontractors, NDAs, and non-solicits: vetting a dev agency’s team
You have no contract with the people your agency subcontracts to. Here’s how to close that gap.
Litigation
3 guidesWhat actually happens when your startup gets sued
A map of American civil litigation, drawn to scale. The boxes are sized by what they cost you.
You got a “tracking technology” demand letter
Who is sending the CIPA and pixel demands, why, and what actually drives your exposure.
Attorney-client privilege, and why you’d care
Typing your worst moment into a chatbot — and what the 2026 courts said about it.