Capital Raising Lawyers for Startups and Growth-Stage Companies
Raising capital is a turning point for any business. But while founders focus on investors and pitch decks, the legal infrastructure behind a raise can determine whether the deal fuels growth or creates friction. At Next Era Legal, we provide strategic legal guidance for fundraising, acting as embedded counsel to startups, emerging companies, and founders preparing for their next round.
With offices in Chicago, San Diego, Detroit, and Los Angeles, we support capital raises from seed stage through Series B and beyond. Whether you’re issuing SAFEs, negotiating a priced round, or onboarding your first institutional investor, our capital raising lawyers help you move forward with confidence and clarity.
Strategic Legal Counsel That Matches the Pace of Growth
Startups and scaling businesses can’t afford legal guesswork during a raise. At this stage, every document, signature, and valuation impacts your future. Our legal team understands the balance between moving fast and protecting your interests.
We offer startup fundraising legal services that align with your company’s fundraising timeline, equity structure, and investor relationships.
We Frequently Advise Clients Who Say:
- “We’re closing a seed round and need to finalize our SAFEs.”
- “Our Series A term sheet came in; we need a legal strategy before signing.”
- “Investors want clean cap tables and strong IP. Can you help us prep?”
- “We’ve outgrown our DIY documents and need real legal support.”
We’re not just reviewing documents, we’re designing legal strategies to help you raise capital efficiently and responsibly.
Comprehensive Legal Support for Capital Raises
Whether you’re just starting to raise funds or managing a multi-round structure, we offer a full range of capital raising legal services tailored to your needs.
Term Sheet Review and Negotiation
We analyze the first step in any serious raise: the term sheet. We help founders understand:
- Valuation mechanics and equity dilution
- Liquidation preferences
- Board control and investor rights
- Anti-dilution and conversion terms
- Voting thresholds and protective provisions
Even a short-term sheet can lock in years of control and economics. Our job is to make sure it’s set up right from the beginning.
SAFE, Convertible Note, and Equity Structuring
We guide startups on the best vehicle for their raise, whether it’s:
- Y Combinator SAFEs
- Custom convertible notes with interest and maturity
- Priced equity rounds (common vs. preferred stock)
- Hybrid structures, rolling closes, or staged investments
We draft and negotiate investment documents that meet investor expectations while protecting your long-term control and optionality.
Capitalization Table Strategy and Management
Investor trust starts with a clean, accurate cap table. We:
- Audit and clean up existing cap tables
- Advise on option pools, vesting, and founder equity
- Integrate fundraising with equity management platforms
- Model cap table outcomes under different deal terms
We help you tell a clear equity story to your investors and avoid dilution surprises later.
Regulatory and Securities Compliance
Raising capital means navigating a complex landscape of state and federal securities laws. We advise on:
- Rule 506(b) and 506(c) exemptions under Regulation D
- Blue sky filings and state notice requirements
- Accredited investor standards and compliance
- Investor disclosures and risk factors
- Subscription agreements and investment memos
As securities lawyers for startups, we make sure every raise meets legal and regulatory expectations, without slowing your momentum.
Founder and Company Readiness
We don’t just react to investment terms, we help you prepare before you’re in the room. Our capital raise preparation services include:
- Review and cleanup of corporate formation documents
- IP assignment and protection
- Founder agreements and vesting terms
- Investor communications and legal Q&A prep
- Pre-diligence audits for Series A and B rounds
When you’re ready to fundraise, you’ll be ready to answer questions and withstand scrutiny.
Why Founders Choose Next Era Legal
Next Era Legal isn’t a traditional law firm. We operate as strategic legal partners to companies who want legal support that’s fast, flexible, and grounded in business reality.
What Sets Us Apart:
- Fractional General Counsel Support – We integrate with your leadership team so legal isn’t an afterthought during your raise.
- Startup-Focused Experience – Our attorneys have supported capital raises from $50K friends-and-family rounds to $10M institutional Series A deals.
- Multi-City Reach – With offices in four startup hubs, we understand regional investor preferences and local compliance nuances.
- Flexible Billing Models – Fixed-fee fundraising support and retainer-based advisory options to match your cash flow and predictability needs.
You don’t need to hire a full-time GC to get legal firepower behind your next raise. You just need the right partner.
Clients We Serve
We represent a wide range of early and growth-stage companies across multiple sectors. Our clients include:
- Tech startups building SaaS and AI platforms
- Consumer brands entering DTC and retail markets
- Healthcare and wellness startups navigating complex compliance
- Professional services firms securing growth capital
- Franchises expanding through investor-backed models
- Real estate investment companies raising private capital
Whether you’re bootstrapped or venture-backed, we adjust our capital raising strategy to fit your market, industry, and trajectory.
Capital Raising Legal Services at Each Stage
Pre-Seed and Seed
At this stage, we focus on clean structures, efficient documents, and future-proofing for Series A.
- Founder equity structuring
- SAFE and convertible note templates
- Early investor disclosures
- Cap table modeling
- Pre-raise cleanup and IP assignments
- Series A and Growth Capital
Now the stakes are higher, expect more negotiation, more diligence, and longer deal cycles.
- Series A term sheet review and negotiation
- Preferred stock structuring and investor rights
- Board composition and corporate governance
- Closing mechanics and regulatory filings
- Due diligence support and legal review
Bridge Rounds and Strategic Raises
For companies navigating interim rounds, acquisitions, or strategic capital, we advise on:
- Bridge and down-round documentation
- Strategic investor negotiations
- Joint ventures and revenue-share models
- Debt-to-equity conversion planning
We meet you wherever you are, and guide you where you’re going next.
Offices in Key Fundraising Markets
Our physical presence in four major metro areas gives us direct insight into the investor landscape, funding trends, and legal expectations in each market.
Chicago
We work with fintech, SaaS, and manufacturing startups preparing for structured seed and Series A raises in the Midwest’s most active startup ecosystem.
San Diego
In the biotech and wellness capital of the West Coast, we support medical startups, health platforms, and e-commerce brands navigating regulated raises.
Detroit
As Detroit’s innovation economy grows, we help founders raise capital for mobility, cleantech, and consumer products in the Rust Belt’s modern comeback.
Los Angeles
From media and entertainment to tech and fashion, our LA-based attorneys advise creative and high-growth founders raising early- and mid-stage venture capital.
When to Hire a Capital Raising Lawyer
You don’t need to wait until you have a signed term sheet. The earlier you bring in legal counsel, the more prepared, and protected, you’ll be. Call us if:
- You’re planning to raise capital in the next 6–12 months
- You’ve received a term sheet or investor interest
- You’re unsure whether to use a SAFE or convertible note
- You need help organizing your company documents and cap table
- You want to avoid costly dilution or legal mistakes
- You’re fundraising across multiple states or investor types
Even small raises come with big legal implications. We help you make decisions now that won’t hurt your options later.
Start With a Strategy, Not Just a Signature
At Next Era Legal, we don’t believe legal should slow you down. We believe legal should help you scale. Our capital raising lawyers are here to guide you through every stage of your fundraise with clarity, foresight, and flexibility.
Schedule a Capital Raise Strategy Session
Let’s talk through your goals and map a legal path forward.
Download Our Fundraising Legal Checklist
Get a head start with a founder-friendly guide to key legal issues before you raise.
Need help cleaning up your structure before talking to investors?
We’re here for that too. Start the conversation before the term sheets arrive.