Clerky.com automates all the legal paperwork that startups need to get incorporated, staffed up and funded. Incubated by Ycombinator the team includes a number of veteran Startup Attorneys and Y Combinator’s General Counsel.
They have been running in stealth mode for a few Y Combinator intakes and as a result has got a great group of early customers including one of my old #entrepreneur Organisation mates David Hassell and his #company 15five.com.
Frankly #incorporation, employment docs, connotes are boring and expensive aspects of launching a business but have to be done properly.
For many years I have held the opinion that much of this is done straight off a form letter that resides on the Lawyers assistants hard drive.
Whilst more specialised work like later rounds of funding with multiple parties and detailed terms that are likely to result in major consequences absolutely need a Lawyers full attention, a lot of the grunt work probably doesn’t.
Given a body of Lawyers there is every chance the less able amongst them is producing sub standard documents, so assuming Clerky managed to get a top Lawyer to write the first version, it’s probably that many startups might be better off using Clerky.
This space is ripe for automation for the basic work and whilst Lawyers are absolutely required for important deals, to sue or when you are being sued (don’t get cranky with me guys) there are aspects of their trade that are really form letter templates that don’t have a lot of legal smarts to re-produce once the original has been created.
I like the concept a lot, I wish them good luck
