Start Smart Legal Series

Fall 2024

Navigating the legal system can be complicated and intimidating, especially for small startup teams with little to no law background. Consulting fees are expensive and the business landscape is ever-changing, making it difficult to access important knowledge needed to be successful in entrepreneurial pursuits. That is where the Start Smart Legal Series comes in!

Join us for a host of various seminars and workshops throughout the semester that cover a wide range of legal topics for startup businesses. A partnership between the University of Pittsburgh’s Big Idea Center, Pitt Law, CMU’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, and K&L Gates, this free opportunity is geared towards all individuals, students and community members alike, who want to learn more about the legal basics of launching and maintaining their entrepreneurial endeavors.

During each event, you will learn from K&L Gates’ startup lawyers and gain valuable insight on how to legally start/run your startup.

Please note: this semester's Start Smart Legal Series sessions will NOT be recorded due to the sensitive nature of the information being shared. 

Benefits:

• All sessions: Engage with complicated legal topics taught by the experts themselves and have the chance to ask YOUR most pressing legal questions.
• Session 1: Learn about key legal needs and issues for startups including founders agreements, equity splits, company formation, handling IP, raising capital, and building a team.
• Session 2: Learn how to navigate common intellectual property issues and the steps to creating a patent strategy.
• Session 3: Find out about details related to company formation and what path is right for you and your idea.
• Session 4: Design your own “legal roadmap” and be matched with one or more law students that will recommend the best entity option for your startup and the basics of a Founders Agreement – as well as guidance on other legal issues on your ‘checklist’ – all under the supervision of experienced startup lawyers!

Eligibility:

• Pitt & CMU students of all levels and disciplines as well as members of the community are welcome to attend.
• In order to be invited to attend Session 4 on Nov. 7 (“How to Form Your Startup Company, Part 2: Workshop”), participants will have needed to attend Session 3 on Oct. 24 (“How to Form Your Startup Company, Part 1: The Basics”). They are also required to send a brief application (to be provided to attendees of the Part 1 session) to Stephanie Dangel, sad111@pitt.edu, by EOD on Thursday, October 31.

Upcoming Sessions:

Note: All Start Smart sessions will be held from 5:00 - 6:15 p.m. EST via Zoom. Dates, times, and presenters are subject to change.

Introduction to Startup Law

September 26, 2024

5:00 - 6:15 p.m. EST, Zoom

Using a checklist that will be distributed, you’ll be given a lightning round of the key legal needs and issues for a startup: Founders agreements, equity splits, company formation, handling IP, raising capital, building a team, etc. Then you’ll get to ask YOUR most pressing legal questions.  This session and checklist will be the basis of future Start Smarts which will go into each of the issues in more depth.

Presenters: 

• David Lehman, K&L Gates
• Stephanie Dangel, University of Pittsburgh School of Law

How to Handle Your (and Others') Intellectual Property

October 10, 2024

5:00 - 6:15 p.m. EST, Zoom

Intellectual Property is an asset to be protected. This session will cover how to deal with IP issues including:

• Different ways to protect your company’s IP (copyrights, trade secrets, patents, trademarks, etc.)
• Do you really need a patent?
• Difference between a provisional patent and a formal patent filing
• Developing a patent strategy
• How to handle IP created by class projects when one or more of the student team members want to pursue commercialization
• Tips on searching the US Patent Office Database (for prior ‘art’ e.g. existing patents)
• What to expect after filing a patent (time and expenses)

Presenters:

• David Lehman, K&L Gates
• Lauren Murray, K&L Gates
• Additional presenters TBD

How to Form Your Startup Company, Part 1: The Basics

October 24, 2024

5:00 - 6:15 p.m. EST, Zoom

Please note: this session is a pre-requisite to attend “How to Form Your Startup Company, Part 2: Workshop”

Learn the basic legal issues involved with new company formation, including choice of entity (LLC, C-Corp, social enterprise options such as non-profit (501c), Benefit Corporation, B Corps certification, and other company structure alternatives)), basics of founders’ agreements, splitting equity, and employee vesting. Participants will receive a legal road map and checklist to begin working on prior to “How to form Your Startup Company, Part 2: Workshop” on November 7.

Presenters/Participants:

• David Lehman, K&L Gates
• Stephanie Dangel, University of Pittsburgh Law School
• University of Pittsburgh Law School Students

How to Form Your Startup Company, Part 2: Workshop

November 7, 2024

5:00 - 6:15 p.m. EST, Zoom

Please note: In order to attend this session, you will need to have previously attended “How to Form Your Startup Company, Part 1: The Basics” on October 24

Your team will be matched with one or more law students to design a “legal roadmap” that will recommend the best entity option for your startup and the basics of a Founders Agreement. You will also receive guidance on other legal issues on your ‘checklist’ – all under the supervision of experienced startup lawyers!

**This workshop fills up quickly. Once you attend Part 1 of the workshop,  you will be provided an application to participate in Part 2 and be matched with a Pitt Law student.

Note: there is NO obligation to form a company because of participation in this workshop. Startups can form a company at any time that it makes sense to do so!

Presenters/Participants:

• David Lehman, K&L Gates
• Stephanie Dangel, University of Pittsburgh Law School
• University of Pittsburgh Law School students