When most business owners think of trademarks, they think of a single logo or brand name. But if you’re building a serious business, you need more than one trademark. You need a portfolio. Why? Because your intellectual property is more than just a name. It’s your brand’s identity, your competitive edge, and eventually, your leverage […]

How the U.S. Department of Labor’s New Rule Redraws the Line—and What It Means for Your Workforce 1. Background: Why worker status keeps shifting The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guarantees minimum wage and overtime only to employees. Independent contractors generally receive none of those protections, which means classification errors expose companies to back wages, […]

Why licensing matters right now Whether you’re letting a creator use your trademark on limited-edition merch, bundling an API into a SaaS partner’s platform, or selling streaming rights for short-form video, licensing is the fastest way to monetize intellectual property without building new infrastructure. The market shows it: global brand-licensing revenue jumped 11 % in […]

You’ve picked a name, designed a logo, locked down the Instagram handle, and maybe even ordered your packaging. Your brand is finally coming to life. But here’s the catch: just because you own your visual assets doesn’t mean you legally control them. In today’s digital world, brand identity and intellectual property go hand in hand. […]

1. The problem with the billable hour (from a CFO’s desk) A decade ago, paying counsel “by the six-minute increment” felt tolerable because legal needs were episodic—an acquisition here, a lawsuit there. Today, regulatory change, data-privacy rollouts, and perpetual contract flow make legal work continuous. Billable hours turn that continuity into budgeting whiplash: A 2024 […]

1. Why founders should care about the dossier long before the term sheet Over the past two years early-stage investors have stretched their diligence cycles: partners who once moved in weeks are now combing through data rooms for months. TechCrunch notes that Series A firms “are still taking longer to do due diligence and are […]

How to Protect Your Internal Training Manuals, Videos, and Slide Decks 1. Why this question matters You’ve spent months creating onboarding videos, an SOP playbook, and a library of “secret-sauce” templates that make new hires productive in days instead of weeks. Those materials are valuable IP—but what’s the smartest legal wrapper? Two tools dominate the […]

1. What is a Fractional General Counsel (FGC)? A fractional general counsel is a senior attorney who plugs into your business for a set number of hours each month—think “on‑call legal department”—providing the same strategic advice as an in‑house GC, but part‑time and on a flat or capped retainer. Because you buy only the capacity you […]

1. What is a Fractional General Counsel? A fractional general counsel (FGC) is a senior attorney who integrates with your leadership team for a set number of hours each month—essentially an on‑demand legal department. You receive the strategic depth of an in‑house General Counsel but only pay for the capacity you need, typically saving 70–85 % versus […]
