Startup & Venture Legal Counsel

The lawyer who speaks founder.

30 years of startup and securities law experience — now structured around how early-stage companies actually work. Fixed fees, fractional GC retainers, and AI-era legal protection for founders who move fast.

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30+
Years of practice
100s
Startups counseled
Fixed
Fee pricing — no surprises
AI-ready
For the new legal landscape
Why AT Startup Law

Legal counsel built for founders,
not Fortune 500s.

Most law firms weren't designed with early-stage startups in mind. We were. Here's what that means in practice.

⚡

Flat-Fee Pricing

Know what you'll pay before we start. No hourly billing surprises. No invoice shock after a closing. Transparent, fixed fees on every engagement.

🔐

Securities Law Depth

SAFEs, convertible notes, Reg D, Reg CF, preferred equity rounds — this is our core. We've done hundreds of early-stage financings and know exactly where founders get into trouble.

🤖

AI Document Auditing

Using AI to draft your legal docs? Smart — but risky. We review AI-generated agreements and catch the mistakes that could haunt your next funding round.

📋

Fractional GC Model

Get ongoing legal counsel at a predictable monthly cost. We act as your outside general counsel — available when you need us, without full-time attorney overhead.

🚀

Founder-First Mindset

We've worked with hundreds of early-stage founders. We know what matters at the seed stage vs. Series A vs. fundraising. We meet you where you are.

🏦

Fund Formation

Setting up an investment fund? We handle micro-funds through institutional structures — LP agreements, PPMs, management company setup, and everything in between.

Services & Pricing

Everything a startup needs.
Nothing it doesn't.

All engagements are fixed-fee unless noted. No hourly billing. No open-ended retainers with mystery invoices.

Company Formation

Startup Formation Package

Delaware C-corp incorporation, bylaws, IP assignment agreements, and founder equity agreements — everything you need to be investor-ready from day one.

$2,500 fixed fee
Company Formation

Formation + SAFE-Ready Package

Everything in the Formation Package, plus SAFE documents and investor form letters — so you can start raising the moment you're incorporated.

$4,500 fixed fee
Securities Offerings

SAFE Round

Standard SAFE documents, board consents, and investor questionnaires. We handle the paperwork so you can focus on closing investors.

$3,500 fixed fee
Securities Offerings

Convertible Note Round

Note purchase agreement, board and stockholder consents, and investor documents. We ensure your notes convert cleanly in your next priced round.

$4,500 fixed fee
Securities Offerings

Reg D Preferred Equity Round

Full Series Seed documentation — term sheet through closing. Preferred stock, investor rights, voting agreements, ROFR. Everything an institutional investor expects.

$8,500 fixed fee
Fund Formation

Micro-Fund Formation

LP agreement, PPM, subscription documents, and side letters for funds under $10M. Built for emerging managers and first-time GPs.

$15,000 fixed fee
Fund Formation

Standard Fund Formation

Full fund formation including advisory board setup and management company structure. For GPs ready to raise institutional capital.

$25,000 fixed fee
AI Document Audit

Single Document Review

We review your AI-generated legal document, provide a full redline, and deliver a written risk memo identifying issues before they become problems.

$750 fixed fee
AI Document Audit

Company Legal Health Check

A comprehensive review of your company's existing documents, cap table, and prior securities offerings — the full picture of what's solid and what needs fixing.

$3,500 fixed fee
Advisory

Founder Legal Strategy Session

A focused 2-hour consultation on any legal topic, followed by a written summary and action items you can actually execute on.

$500 fixed fee
Advisory

Accelerator / Cohort Workshop

Half-day legal fundamentals workshop for startup cohorts. Cap tables, SAFEs, equity, IP, and securities basics — delivered in founder-friendly language.

$3,000 per session
Investor Readiness

Pre-Financing Readiness Assessment

Before you go out to raise, know exactly where you stand. We review your data room against investor expectations for your stage — identifying what's complete, what's missing, and what will raise a red flag in due diligence. Delivered as a written assessment benchmarked to market standard for companies at your stage. Available for angel/friends & family, SAFE/convertible note, and Series A rounds.

$750–$2,500 by stage
Book a call to get started →

Reorganizations, recapitalizations, founder departures, cap table cleanups, and other complex matters that don't fit a fixed-fee model. Every situation is different — contact us to discuss yours.

Custom quoted individually

Prices shown are starting points for standard engagements. Complex matters are quoted individually based on scope. We're happy to discuss your specific situation before you commit to anything.

Fractional GC Retainers

Your lawyer. Every month.
No surprises.

A monthly retainer makes us your ongoing outside general counsel — available for questions, document review, and strategic guidance whenever you need it. Hours that exceed your plan bill at $350/hr.

Starter

4 hours / month
$1,500/mo
  • Email & phone Q&A
  • Document review (up to 4 hrs)
  • Monthly check-in call
  • Priority response within 24 hrs
Get Started
Most Popular

Growth

8 hours / month
$2,750/mo
  • Everything in Starter
  • Cap table monitoring
  • Compliance calendar management
  • Investor communication review
  • Priority response within 4 hrs
Get Started

Premium

15 hours / month
$4,500/mo
  • Everything in Growth
  • Board meeting attendance
  • Investor relations support
  • Near full-service GC coverage
  • Same-day response
Get Started
AI & The Law

AI is changing startup law.
We help you navigate it safely.

Your founders are already using AI for legal work — with or without you. The question is whether the output they're getting is quietly wrong. Here's where AI falls short, and how we help.

⚠️

AI Doesn't Know Your Cap Table Future

A SAFE with the wrong valuation cap can devastate founders at Series A. AI generates documents — it doesn't model consequences across your financing history.

🗺️

State Securities Laws Are Unforgiving

Federal Reg D is just the start. Blue sky laws vary by state and AI tools routinely miss investor qualification and notice filing requirements.

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Founders Can't Write Precise Legal Prompts

Getting useful legal output from AI requires knowing exactly what to ask — and knowing whether the answer is right. Most founders have neither. The result is polished output that's quietly wrong, and no way to tell the difference.

🧾

Securities Violations Are Hard to Unwind

A flawed securities offering can expose founders to rescission liability and SEC enforcement. The cost of cleanup is always higher than doing it right the first time.

🎯

AI Answers the Question in Front of It. We Ask the Right One.

AI responds to what you ask. Experienced legal counsel identifies what you should have asked — the issue behind the issue that doesn't surface until it's a problem. Thirty years of pattern recognition is not something a prompt can replicate.

🤖 + ⚖️

Get Your AI Docs Reviewed

Used AI to draft a SAFE, convertible note, operating agreement, or other legal document? Our AI Document Audit gives you a full redline and risk memo for a flat $750 — before those docs cause a problem.

Book an AI Audit →

Or get a full company Legal Health Check for $3,500

Anne Turner
About

Anne Turner

I've spent 30 years in startup and venture law — as a shareholder at an AmLaw 100-200 firm and now as founder of AT Startup Law. I've counseled hundreds of early-stage companies through their most consequential legal moments: first financing, cap table structuring, securities offerings, fund formation, and complex restructurings.

I started AT Startup Law because early-stage founders deserve sophisticated legal counsel without big-firm overhead or hourly billing uncertainty. My practice is built around flat fees, ongoing fractional GC relationships, and deep expertise in the securities compliance issues that trip up founders who try to go it alone — or rely entirely on AI.

If you're raising a SAFE round, setting up a fund, or trying to figure out whether your AI-generated docs are actually safe to use, I'm the attorney you want in your corner.

30+ Years Experience AmLaw 100-200 Background Securities Offerings Fund Formation SAFEs & Convertible Notes Fractional GC
FAQ

Questions founders actually ask.

Straight answers to the legal questions early-stage founders ask most often — before they even pick up the phone.

What is a SAFE and how much does it cost to prepare one? +

A SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) is a financing instrument used by early-stage startups to raise money from investors without setting a valuation at the time of investment. The investor receives the right to equity in a future priced round. SAFEs are fast to close, founder-friendly, and widely accepted by angel investors and seed funds. AT Startup Law prepares SAFE rounds for a flat fee of $3,500, including the SAFE documents, board consents, and investor questionnaires.

What is the difference between a SAFE and a convertible note? +

Both are instruments used to raise money before a priced equity round. A convertible note is debt — it carries an interest rate and a maturity date, and converts to equity upon a future financing event. A SAFE is not debt — it has no interest rate or maturity date and simply converts in a future priced round. SAFEs are simpler and faster; convertible notes may be preferred by some investors or in certain states. AT Startup Law handles SAFE rounds at $3,500 and convertible note rounds at $4,500, both flat fee.

What is a fractional general counsel and do I need one? +

A fractional GC is an experienced attorney who serves as your outside general counsel on a part-time monthly retainer rather than as a full-time employee. You get ongoing access to sophisticated legal counsel — for questions, document review, cap table monitoring, and compliance — at a predictable monthly cost. Most early-stage companies need a fractional GC the moment they take outside money. AT Startup Law offers retainers from $1,500/month (4 hours) to $4,500/month (15 hours of near full-service GC coverage).

Can I use AI to draft my startup's legal documents? +

AI tools can produce a first draft of many startup legal documents — but they carry real risks. AI cannot model how a SAFE's valuation cap will affect your cap table at Series A. It doesn't reliably navigate state blue sky securities laws. And unlike an experienced attorney, it only answers the question in front of it — it won't spot the issue you didn't know to ask about. AT Startup Law offers AI Document Audits for $750 per document: a full review with redline and written risk memo before those documents cause a problem.

How much does it cost to form a startup as a Delaware C-corp? +

AT Startup Law's Startup Formation Package is $2,500 flat fee and includes Delaware C-corp incorporation, bylaws, IP assignment agreements, and founder equity agreements — everything needed to be investor-ready from day one. A Formation + SAFE-Ready Package, which adds SAFE documents and investor form letters so you can start raising immediately, is $4,500.

What is fund formation and how much does it cost? +

Fund formation is the legal process of establishing an investment fund — typically a limited partnership — through which investors pool capital to invest in startups or other assets. It involves the LP agreement, private placement memorandum (PPM), subscription documents, and management company setup. AT Startup Law handles micro-fund formation (under $10M) for $15,000 and standard fund formation for $25,000, both flat fee.

Does AT Startup Law work with clients outside Mississippi? +

Yes. AT Startup Law serves early-stage companies and founders across the United States. Most work is handled remotely via video call and email. Anne Turner is based in Madison, Mississippi, but the firm's core practice areas — Delaware formations, federal securities law, and fund formation — are national in scope. If you have a startup legal need and you're in the US, we can help.

Get In Touch

Let's talk about your startup.

Book a free 30-minute intro call. No pitch, no pressure — just a conversation about where you are and whether we're the right fit. Most founders leave with at least one useful insight regardless.

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atstartuplaw.com
📧
anne@atstartuplaw.com
𝕏
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