Do I need a startup lawyer?
You don’t have to hire a lawyer - but sometimes you might need specialist help. Here are the pros and cons of hiring a s...
With General Counsel as a Service (GCaaS for short, pronounced gee-cass), you can buy a bank of 25 hours of a SeedLegals senior lawyer’s time for the year. In this post, we explain how it works and when you might want to use it.
GCaaS acts as your in-house lawyer – at a fraction of the price
We know that not every legal task can be solely managed by great automation. The combination of the SeedLegals platform and specialist support is all you need for early-stage funding legals and share options. But sometimes you’ll need more legal firepower to solve a problem.
That’s why we’ve added GCaaS to our list of services. It’s a cash-smart way to get specialist legal advice you need when you need it – without committing to bringing on an in-house lawyer or paying the high fees charged by traditional law firms.
By adding GCaaS to your SeedLegals membership, you get 25 hours of time with a SeedLegals senior specialist lawyer. They’ll get to know your business inside-out and provide practical, tailored advice to help you grow and scale your business.
When do I need a lawyer?
For many straightforward legal tasks, you don’t need to consult a lawyer unless your circumstances are unusual. In this article, we explore which tasks you need a specialist lawyer for and which you can tackle yourself.
For many straightforward legal tasks, you don’t need to consult a lawyer unless your circumstances are unusual. In this article, we explore which tasks you need a specialist lawyer for and which you can tackle yourself.
Future-proof your company and scale faster with GCaaS
The right business lawyer can guide you in properly structuring and protecting your business while avoiding pitfalls and mitigating risks and liabilities that could stunt your success down the road.
Toby McCrindleAn estimated 12 million legal issues go unserviced every year for small businesses, according to research from the Legal Services Board. This is a major risk to growth and survival, so addressing these early on is critical.
Chief Legal Officer,
As part of your GCaaS subscription, we can advise on:
- General commercial law including contract reviews and drafting
- HR and employment law excluding specialist employment advice such as TUPE transfers, redundancy consultations and disputes
- Data protection including data and privacy policies and tailored advice on how UK data protection regulations affect your business and the work you do with your customers
- IP matters including trademarks
- General company law including corporate governance best practice and directors’ duties
Need legal support for your funding round?
The SeedLegals VC Advisory Service is like GCaaS but for complex funding rounds. If you need support negotiating with investors, your expert SeedLegals senior lawyer is on hand to help you get the best deal for your company.
The SeedLegals VC Advisory Service is like GCaaS but for complex funding rounds. If you need support negotiating with investors, your expert SeedLegals senior lawyer is on hand to help you get the best deal for your company.
There are some areas we can’t advise on for regulatory reasons, such as conducting litigation (ie: suing someone or representing you if you’re being sued), conveyancing, probate activities, acting as a notary or the administration of oaths. If you need support in these areas, we’ll be happy to introduce you to law firms we recommend.
GCaaS works out to £200 per hour
A traditional law firm charges between £320 to 750 +VAT per hour on average.
With GCaaS, you can add a specialist lawyer to your team for a flat fee of £4,999 + VAT per year for 25 hours of dedicated legal support.
To use GCaaS, you also need an active Plus or Standard membership. Plus is £999 + VAT per year and Standard is £499 + VAT per year (at the time of writing).
Other than any extra hours you buy, and your SeedLegals membership fee, you won’t be hit with any surprise billable hours or extra charges.
Our priority is making sure the fees we charge are transparent and efficient, so:
- We’ll make it clear how many hours you’ve used and how many you have left
- We automate as much as we can. Your 25 hours are strictly spent on specialist legal advice, not on standard processes.
Work with lawyers who speak startup
Our lawyers understand the unique legal challenges facing startups because we work specifically with new ventures day in and day out. Whereas large law firms take on all types of clients across many industries, we focus solely on counselling high-growth startups. This concentrated experience allows us to understand first-hand the common issues and pain points startups face during the critical early stages.
Sam HammondUnlike big traditional firms, at SeedLegals we work alongside you and get to know your business as closely as an in-house General Counsel does. Whether it’s reviewing contracts or kicking off your privacy compliance program, this close working relationship means we can advise you based on your specific risk appetite and the strategic direction you want to pursue. Plus, you’ll avoid wasting time (and money) bringing new lawyers up to speed each time.
Legal Counsel,
Why use SeedLegals GCaaS?
As a startup, it can be crucial to get quality legal counsel early on to ensure your company grows on a solid foundation. It’s a real investment in your business’s future – and because it’s so important, we believe startups shouldn’t have to pay so much for access. Here’s why we think GCaaS has the edge over traditional law firms:
- 100% transparent pricing. You won’t incur costs beyond the fixed subscription price. GCaaS helps scaling businesses like yours manage spend on essential services.
- Tailored advice from startup specialists. Our legal team has a deep understanding of the startup and SME market. We know how to balance a careful risk appetite with hitting growth targets at speed.
- Tech-first approach to save you time and money. We use SeedLegals automation and tools for speed, so we don’t waste the time you’re paying for on tasks that don’t need your lawyer’s specialised expertise. Alongside your dedicated SeedLegals lawyer, you’ll still be supported by your Account Manager, who can help you with technical questions or other issues that don’t require expert legal advice.
How SeedLegals GCaaS is regulated
SeedLegals is not a law firm and we are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA). You can find out more about what this means for you in our Terms of Service.
All our advisory lawyers are individually regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) (for our lawyers qualified in England) or the Law Society of Scotland via the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) (for our lawyers qualified in Scotland) and are required to comply with the relevant regulatory standards and rules, as well as our own internal policies and processes. Your lawyer might work together with unregulated team members but the lawyer will remain accountable to their regulatory body for the work as a whole.
When you decide to subscribe to SeedLegals GCaaS, before committing to payment, we’ll send you an engagement letter that sets out clearly and concisely our terms of service, your rights and how you can enforce them via the Legal Ombudsman or SLCC.
Talk to the experts
Interested in finding out more about whether GCaaS is the right next step for you? Choose a time for a free call with one of our GCaaS experts.
