Offsite General Counsel for Startups
Strategic legal leadership integrated into your startup's operations — without the overhead of an in-house hire. We centralize your entire legal front: contracts, governance, fundraising, IP and legal operations, on a retainer model that scales with your growth.
What we cover
- Contract review, negotiation and approval workflows
- Corporate governance: board minutes, resolutions, compliance
- Fundraising preparation and investor documentation
- Intellectual property strategy and protection
- Employment and equity: onboarding, ESOP, offboarding
- International expansion: Delaware Flip, subsidiaries, cross-border contracts
- Regulatory compliance and data privacy (GDPR, CCPA)
- M&A support: due diligence, SPA negotiation, closing coordination
- Strategic legal advice integrated into business decisions
When to bring in an offsite GC
Investors expect governance, clean IP, organized data rooms and structured cap tables. A GC builds this before you need it.
Once you're signing multiple contracts per month and hiring internationally, legal tasks begin competing with product decisions for founder time.
Expansion introduces regulatory complexity that requires continuous legal guidance — not a one-off consultation.
Why Kaplan
We don't just answer questions — we attend key meetings, maintain legal dashboards and proactively flag issues before they become problems.
We implement the processes and workflows that let your legal function run with continuity, speed and visibility — not reactive case-by-case.
Carlos Kaplan built this firm after working at Fenwick & West in Silicon Valley. We understand the speed and clarity that founders require.
Our service tiers
Initial legal infrastructure: corporate structure, founders agreements, IP and base contracts. For startups launching or professionalizing.
Investor readiness: data room, governance, IP cleanup, fundraising documentation. For startups preparing a round.
Full-spectrum offsite GC: centralized legal front with legal operations, continuous support and strategic guidance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an offsite and in-house general counsel?
An in-house general counsel is a full-time employee with a fixed salary, benefits and overhead. An offsite (or fractional) general counsel provides the same strategic legal leadership and full-front coverage at a fraction of the cost — integrated into your operations on a retainer model. For most startups at seed through Series B, an offsite GC is more cost-effective and equally capable.
When does a startup need a general counsel?
The key signals: you're signing contracts without legal review, you're preparing for fundraising, you're hiring internationally, you're entering new markets, or legal tasks are consuming significant founder time. Most startups benefit from GC-level support from seed stage onward — the cost of not having it typically shows up during due diligence or in a dispute.
What does an offsite general counsel handle on a monthly basis?
A typical monthly scope includes: contract review and negotiation, governance and board minutes, employment matters (onboarding, equity, offboarding), IP management, compliance monitoring, investor communications support, and strategic legal advice on business decisions. The exact scope is tailored to each startup's stage and priorities.
How does Kaplan's Ongoing model work?
We integrate into your team on a monthly retainer. We attend key meetings, maintain a legal dashboard with contract status and upcoming deadlines, handle incoming legal requests with defined SLAs, and provide proactive strategic advice. No hourly billing — a fixed monthly fee scaled to your stage and volume of legal work.
Ready to centralize your legal front?
Tell us where your startup is and we'll show you how an offsite GC model works for your stage.
Get your quote now
Tell us about your startup's stage and legal needs — we'll come back with a concrete proposal.