TL;DR: A SAFE and a convertible note both let an early-stage company raise money without setting a valuation today, but they are structurally different instruments. A SAFE is not debt: no interest, no maturity date, no repayment obligation. A convertible note is a debt instrument: it accrues interest and carries a maturity date that forces […]
Category Archives: Contracts & Agreements
24
Jan
Jan
Short answer: hire a contract lawyer before you sign, not after something goes wrong. For most individuals and small businesses, that means a flat-fee review or drafting engagement rather than a retainer. Expect to pay a flat fee for a standard agreement in India, more in the US, and materially more if the contract is […]
16
Nov
Nov
TL;DR: Founders tend to focus on valuation, investment amount, and dilution percentage when reviewing a term sheet, but the clauses that actually determine your outcome are usually elsewhere: liquidation preferences, anti-dilution protection, board control, vesting resets, and drag-along thresholds. A term sheet with an impressive valuation and terms that destroy founder economics is a worse […]
16
Nov
Nov
TL;DR: A shareholders’ agreement and your company’s Articles of Association do different jobs, and confusing them is the single most common drafting mistake. The Articles are a public, statutory document filed with the Registrar of Companies, governed by the Companies Act, 2013, and legally binding on the company itself. A shareholders’ agreement is a private […]
15
Nov
Nov
TL;DR: A founder agreement needs to answer six questions precisely, not generally: who owns what percentage and how that changes with future funding, how equity is earned over time rather than granted outright, what each founder’s role and decision-making authority actually is, what happens if a founder leaves voluntarily or is removed, how IP created […]
22
Sep
Sep
TL;DR: A contract lawyer who has never worked on an AI or technology deal can still draft a competent, enforceable agreement, but competent is not the same as adequate here. AI and tech contracts raise a specific set of questions, who owns AI training data and outputs, who is liable when an algorithm makes a […]
09
Sep
Sep
TL;DR: A breach of contract happens when a party fails to perform a duty the contract actually specifies, without a legal excuse. Not every shortfall counts equally: a material breach defeats the whole purpose of the contract and can justify ending it, while a minor breach only supports a claim for the specific loss it […]
09
Sep
Sep
TL;DR: Yes, and a lawyer’s real value here is rarely about finding a clever loophole. It is about running a proper diagnostic on your contract and your situation, identifying which legitimate exit route actually applies to you, and then executing that route strategically, through negotiation, a formal demand, or litigation as a last resort, rather […]
07
Sep
Sep
TL;DR: A signed contract does not automatically get you what you are owed; it gives you the legal tools to pursue it, but only if you use them correctly and quickly. The sequence that actually protects your position is: confirm it is a real breach, document everything immediately, check what your own contract already says […]
02
Sep
Sep
TL;DR: A contract lawyer drafts, reviews, negotiates, and helps enforce commercial agreements. Their job is to make sure what you agree to on paper reflects what you intended, protects you when things go wrong, and holds up legally when tested. Contract law is fundamentally similar across common law countries, but the specifics vary enough between […]