Building my startup toolkit. What does everyone use for: contract signing, cap table, legal docs, trademark search, etc.? Looking for the go-to stack.
My stack (Series A, 15 employees):
E-signatures: DocuSign (switched from HelloSign, DocuSign has better template features)
Cap table: Carta (pricey but worth it for 409A + investor portal)
Contract templates: Terms.Law generators + Stripe Atlas docs
HR/Payroll: Gusto (handles offer letters, tax forms, benefits)
Registered agent: Northwest ($125/year)
Legal counsel: Goodwin (expensive but knows our space)
Budget version (bootstrapped):
E-signatures: PandaDoc free tier or just DocuSign monthly when needed
Cap table: Spreadsheet until you raise (then Pulley, cheaper than Carta)
Contract templates: YC's open-source docs, Shake, or here
Trademark search: USPTO TESS (free)
Legal counsel: LegalZoom for filings, local attorney for real questions
New AI tools worth trying:
Contract review: Spellbook, Lawgeex — can catch issues in vendor contracts
Research: CaseText CoCounsel, Harvey — for quick legal research
Drafting: Claude/GPT-4 — surprisingly good for first drafts of standard agreements
Still need a real lawyer for anything consequential, but AI is great for first passes and understanding what you're looking at.
Want to participate in this discussion?
Email owner@terms.law to request access