How to get started with Lawtrades

Lawtrades connects companies with attorneys, paralegals, and legal operations professionals for projects and ongoing work.

This guide helps you define the work, bring the right people into the decision, and plan your first engagement.

Meeting your first startup lawyer? Use the meeting brief below to prepare.

Have a specific project in mind? Choose a starting brief for contract, privacy, trademark or equity work.

Start with the work your team needs to get done. A specific gap is a better starting point than changing everything at once.

• Capacity. Identify the projects or recurring work that need more support.
• Expertise. Describe the experience the work calls for, from commercial contracts to legal operations.
• Scope and budget. Set expectations for the work, timing and spend before choosing an engagement.

Use those requirements to evaluate relevant professionals. Confirm rates, fees, expected hours and engagement terms with Lawtrades for your particular need.

In Lawtrades’ published customer story, Akaash Gupta described the experience of working with legal talent at Udemy.

“[Lawtraders] are very commercially minded, can work independently, and have been in the same positions. The people working on our account are people who have worked at similar tech companies at similar stages.”

— Akaash Gupta, Director of Legal at Udemy

Read customer stories.

You can begin with a defined project or ongoing need. Work through the practical details before deciding whether to hire.

1. Contact a Lawtrades representative to discuss the work and ask questions.
2. Review the talent network and identify the experience your team needs.
3. Bring your decision-makers into the conversation. Draft an introduction to share your proposed use case.
4. Agree on the initial scope, budget and engagement terms. A defined first project can help you evaluate the fit.
5. After hiring, use your Lawtrades workspace to follow the engagement and review the work.

Start with a brief for contract, privacy, trademark or equity work. Each brief explains what to ask for, what to have ready and which details your lawyer will need.

Explore the legal project briefs →

Prepare the business context, the decision, timing, documents, desired deliverable and budget before your first conversation.

Read the first-lawyer meeting guide →

Use these resources to continue the conversation with your team.