It grates on most lawyers to hear that request. Maybe like most irritating comments, the rub comes from the element of truth that it contains. In fact, if we find ourselves drafting without a strong precedent (sometimes referred to as drafting from “whole cloth”) we know it’s going to be a difficult day. The truth, however, lies somewhere between custom and off-the-shelf. Great documents start with great precedents that are then carefully and thoughtfully modified to reflect specific facts. With that in mind, we are posting documents that we believe may be useful to lawyer and client alike as starting points, and only starting points, in preparing what you need. We believe that a lawyer’s involvement is crucial to selecting and preparing the final document. Anything else feels like bypassing the doctor and the pharmacist and helping yourself to prescription drugs.
Please remember that forms, even the best ones, are only starting places for creating what a client needs. Embedded in almost every form are specific choices, some of which are not very apparent and some of which are omissions, that were made for someone else and may not be right for the client. If you use or download a document posted on this site you understand, acknowledge and agree that neither Avenir Law nor any of its affiliates is rendering legal or other professional advice on any subject, including tax matters and is not a paid tax return preparer with respect to any of these documents. As we noted above, before using or downloading any document posted on this site, we strongly recommend that you consult with your tax, accounting and/or legal advisors and, if appropriate, consider filing a Section 83(b) election with the United States Internal Revenue Service if any founder’s units or shares are subject to vesting and possible forfeiture.
