Formation

• Cooley GO Formation Docs:  https://www.cooleygo.com/documents/incorporation-package/

• Federal Tax ID #: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss4.pdf

 

Securities Filings/Exemptions

• Overview of Capital-Raising Exemptions:  https://www.sec.gov/education/smallbusiness/exemptofferings/exemptofferingschart 

• Federal Exemptions Overview:  https://support.carta.com/s/article/choosing-federal-exemptions

• Form D Filing: 

  • https://www.sec.gov/smallbusiness/exemptofferings/formd

  • https://www.upcounsel.com/form-d

• Rule 144 / Restricted Securities:  https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsrule144htm.html

• Rule 506 / Bad Actor Rule: 

  • https://www.srz.com/resources/sec-releases-a-second-installment-of-bad-actor-rule-guidance.html

  • https://www.mayerbrown.com/-/media/files/perspectives-events/publications/2021/06/on-point--bad-actors-june-2021.pdf

• Rule 506(b)of Regulation D Safe Harbor: https://www.sec.gov/smallbusiness/exemptofferings/rule506b

• Regulation S:  https://www.pillsburylaw.com/images/content/4/7/v2/476/RobbinsRegS2013.pdf

• Regulation A:  https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/regulation#:~:text=Under%20the%20federal%20securities%20laws,the%20offering%20with%20the%20SEC.

• Regulation A+:  https://www.bassberrysecuritieslawexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/201/2019/02/Regulation-A-FAQs.pdf

• ICO securities exemptions:  https://cryptolawinsider.com/ico-securities-exemptions/

 

Venture Capital Financings

• SAFEs:  https://www.ycombinator.com/documents

• NVCA Form Legal Agreements:  https://nvca.org/model-legal-documents/

• Super Pro Rata Rights:  https://www.walkercorporatelaw.com/startup-issues/what-are-super-pro-rata-rights/

• Pro Formas:

  • Sample Cap Table/Pro Forma:  https://www.cooleygo.com/documents/sample-cap-table-pro-forma/

  • How to Calculate Post-Money Valuation:  https://ledgy.com/us/blog/post-money-valuation-calculation/
     

Equity

• Granting Equity (Options v. Stock): 

  • https://www.founderscircle.com/when-startups-should-grant-restricted-stock-iso-nso-rsu-equity/

  • https://flowfp.com/rsus-vs-stock-options/

• Options:

  • ISO/NSO: 

    • https://www.cooleygo.com/isos-v-nsos-whats-the-difference/

    • https://www.thebalance.com/incentive-stock-options-3192970

  • Dilution: 

    • https://www.cooleygo.com/option-grants-fully-diluted-issued-outstanding/

    • https://www.ipohub.org/dilution-stock-option-pools/

  • Rule 701: 

    • https://thestartuplawblog.com/be-careful-who-you-issue-equity-awards-to-under-rule-701/

    • https://www.upcounsel.com/rule-701

    • https://www.goodwinlaw.com/publications/2018/01/01_30_18_rule-701-refresher-and-updates

  • Understanding Your Stock Plan:​

    • ​https://medium.com/@jonathan.lonsdale/your-stock-plan-the-most-important-contract-you-didnt-read-7fb37b7d08c4

• Certificated v. Uncertificated Shares: 

  • https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bookentrysecurities.asp

• What Happens to Stock/Options in M&A

  • https://carta.com/blog/equity-stock-company-acquired-acquisition/

  • https://www.mystockoptions.com/articles/my-company-is-being-acquired-what-happens-to-my-stock-options-part-1

• Cashless Conversion/Net Exercise: 

  • https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cashless_conversion.asp

  • https://employeestockoptions.com/net-exercising-stock-options/

• Founders Preferred Stock:  https://capitalandgrowth.org/questions/18/why-use-founder-preferred-stock.html

• Transfers / Secondary Sales:

  • Securities Exemptions:

    • https://www.pillsburylaw.com/images/content/1/0/v2/104489/OffersSalesandResalesofSecuritiesandGeneralSolicitation1.pdf​

 

Venture and Private Equity Funds

• Venture Fund Structures

  • https://www.asimplemodel.com/insights/private-equity-fund-structure-gp-and-management-company#:~:text=General%20Partner%20(GP)%3A%20The,allocating%20capital%20and%20managing%20investments

  • https://intltax.typepad.com/intltax_blog/2009/07/tax-chart-shape-color-conventions.html

  • https://carta.com/blog/the-legal-structures-of-venture-capital-funds/

• Fund Formation Issues:  https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba-cms-dotorg/products/ecd/ebk/187594315/1620468_chap1.pdf

• Custody Rule for Registered Investment Advisors:  https://www.proskauer.com/blog/sec-clamps-down-on-custody-rule#:~:text=Under%20rule%20206(4)%2D,steps%20to%20protect%20the%20assets.

• Marketing Rule for Registered Investment Advisors:  https://www.bakerlaw.com/alerts/top-ten-list-complying-secs-new-investment-adviser-marketing-rule#:~:text=The%20Marketing%20Rule%20broadly%20defines%20%E2%80%9Cadvertisement%E2%80%9D%20as%20any%20direct%20or,advisory%20services%20to%20existing%20clients.

• CFIUS:

  • ​https://www.cooley.com/services/practice/export-controls-economic-sanctions/cfius-overview

  • https://www.dwt.com/blogs/privacy--security-law-blog/2020/02/cfius-foreign-investment-filing-requirement

  • https://cytlaw.medium.com/cfius-what-is-it-and-how-to-navigate-it-as-a-vc-a-startup-386f771be25f

• How Does VC Make Money:  https://vcstarterkit.substack.com/p/how-vcs-make-money​

​

Accredited Investors

• Definition:  https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-191

• Unaccredited Investors:  https://www.cooleygo.com/can-you-raise-money-from-unaccredited-investors/

 

Intellectual Property

• Data Privacy​

  • Data Privacy State Comparisons: 

    • https://iapp.org/resources/article/state-comparison-table/

    • https://www.magmutual.com/learning/article/state-data-breach-notification-laws-overview-patchwork/

  • Data Processing Agreement:  https://ironcladapp.com/journal/contracts/what-is-a-data-processing-agreement-dpa/

• DMCA:  https://www.copyright.gov/dmca/

• Licenses:

  • Software License Search:  https://tldrlegal.com/

  • OSS:  https://opensource.org/osd)

  • License Comparison Charts: 

    • https://choosealicense.com/appendix/

    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_free_and_open-source_software_licences

  • Copyleft Licenses (Viral):  https://twitter.com/CryptoSources/status/1650500925704871937​

• Trademark Search

  • Search on USPTO for trademarks on its “Tess” database:  https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search.

• Patents

  • Software:  https://www.upcounsel.com/software-patent​

• Commercial Contracts:

  • Precedent Search:

    • https://fintel.io/

    • https://www.lawinsider.com/

  • Risk Shifting (Limitation of Liability, Indemnification, Reps and Warranties):

    • http://pnwstartuplawyer.com/master-service-agreements/

• Terms of Use:

  • Informing Customers of Updated ToU:  ​https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/changing-your-terms-and-conditions-if-21606/

• Website/Domain Name Lookup:  https://lookup.icann.org/

• SOC II:

  • https://kirkpatrickprice.com/video/soc-2-academy-boards-independence-management/

  • https://www.aicpa.org/content/dam/aicpa/interestareas/frc/assuranceadvisoryservices/downloadabledocuments/trust-services-criteria.pdf

  • https://www.blissfully.com/guides/soc-2-compliance/

  • https://www.imperva.com/learn/data-security/soc-2-compliance/

​

Tax

• Non-Profit Exemptions:

  • https://www.irs.gov/es/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/exemption-requirements-501c3-organizations

• QSBS:

  • https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/1202

  • https://www.svb.com/blogs/ann-lucchesi/understanding-qualified-small-business-stock--the-capital-gains-exemption/

  • https://blog.wealthfront.com/qualified-small-business-stock-2016/

  • https://learn.valur.io/qsbs/#:~:text=There%20are%20a%20few%20different,part%20of%20their%20compensation%20package

• Venture Fund Tax:  https://www.morganlewis.com/-/media/files/special-topics/vcpefdeskbook/fundformation/vcpefdeskbook_accommodatingnonusinvestors.pdf

• ERISA:

  • Management Rights Letters (MRLs):

    • https://www.startupblog.com/what-is-a-management-rights-letter-and-why-do-venture-funds-ask-for-them/

    • https://www.dlapiperaccelerate.com/knowledge/2019/what-is-a-management-rights-letter-and-why-is-my-investor-asking-for-it.html

  • ERISA Liability for Board Members:  https://www.paulhastings.com/docs/default-source/PDFs/so_you_think_you_are_safe_-_board_members_and_personal_liability_under_erisa6b17df6923346428811cff00004cbded.pdf

• 351 Exchange:  https://www.thetaxadviser.com/issues/2014/jul/clinic-july2014-2.html

• Franchise Tax in DE:  https://www.cooleygo.com/so-you-owe-thousands-in-delaware-franchise-tax/

  

M&A

• Selling Your Company (Cooley Go):  https://www.cooleygo.com/selling-your-company-merger-vs-stock-sale-vs-asset-sale/#:~:text=Stock%20Sale-,Summary,contemplated%20by%20the%20acquisition%20agreement.

• Reverse Triangular Merger:  https://www.professorbainbridge.com/professorbainbridgecom/2010/01/evading-shareholder-voting-in-a-merger.html>

• 280G:  https://www.theventurealley.com/2012/09/understanding-section 

 

Bankruptcy

• Fraudulent Transfer: https://www.kslaw.com/attachments/000/008/303/original/What_is_it_Fraudulent_Transfers.pdf?1604329128

• 363 Sale:  https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/valuation/363-sale/

• Safes in Bankruptcy:  https://frostbrowntodd.com/when-safes-fail/#:~:text=SAFEs%20are%20junior%20to%20all,trade%20payables%2C%20has%20been%20repaid.

• FDIC Receivership:  https://www.mofo.com/resources/insights/230312-fdic-bank-receivership-frequently-asked-questions

​

Fraud and Liability

• Corporate Counsel: In the Crosshairs of a Criminal Investigation - Maurice Suh: https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/Suh-CorpCounselInTheCrosshairs.pdf

• CFO liability:  https://www.ogcsolutions.com/chief-financial-officers-can-be-held-liable/

Random 

• Guide to Copyediting Marks:  https://nybookeditors.com/2013/06/copyediting-marks/

• Computer Science For Lawyers:  https://learning.edx.org/course/course-v1:HarvardX+CS50L+Law/home

• Global Money Management: Moving Money across Borders:  https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_international-business/s19-05-global-money-management-moving.html

• Payment Processing Compliance:  https://www.rapyd.net/blog/payment-processing-compliance/