Recently, I received an email from an existing client. They had interviewed several law firms including several larger ones before deciding to engage with Foundry. They appreciated our experience and approach. They wrote to let me know that their investors have expressed a preference that they work with a larger, more established law firm. This is not the first time a client has shared this exact investor concern with me. It’s caused me to reflect on business lessons I’ve learned and allowed me to respond simply by reiterating Foundry’s value proposition.
Foundry is a law firm that focuses on business and intellectual property law for new and growing companies. Our clients are entrepreneurs, CEOs, Business Owners, Founders, Startups, Venture Backed, Social Enterprises, Enterprise Providers, Consultants etc.
FIVE REASONS WHY FOUNDRY SHOULD BE A PART OF YOUR TEAM
- Business Perspective. We’re lawyers plus. We’re lawyers plus current or previous business owners in our own rights. We’re lawyers plus professionals who understand that legal should help grow, not stunt your business’ trajectory. With Foundry, you get practical legal advice from a business perspective. We provide options, assess your level of risk, and together we make a plan to execute. Here is a great example: You receive a cease and desist letter; you call your current lawyer and they recommend getting a declaratory judgment (which will cost you $$$). You call us, we tell you to first reach out to the other party and have a conversation, CEO to CEO, and give you the points you should make in that initial conversation. If it goes well, things might end there. If things turn hostile, we take over the conversation and negotiate a settlement. More often then not, parties don’t want to go into litigation but they do want their issue heard and resolved. It’s surprising how much can get resolved by just picking up the phone. You might get this advice from us even in the form of an initial consult (cost: $0)—why? Because that’s how we operate. We address your concerns and ensure that you have someone on your team that is not only listening but actively problem-solving with you. We develop clients for the long run who trust our perspective and style.
- Shared values. As growing entrepreneurs and business owners ourselves, we care about growing your business and are natural connectors. If we don’t think it’s the right time for you to spend money on our services, we tell you. We don’t just do legal work to do work. We do it to make sure we are adding value to your business. In addition, we open our network to you and do what we can to help your business succeed. It’s not just about strict legal advice either; we often review business plans, advise on investment strategies, help you plan and build intellectual property portfolios and invite you to relevant events and conferences.
- Respect. We often get asked why clients choose to work with Foundry over a big law firm. Well, it’s simple: we are nimble and care about our clients. You are not just a billable hour to us (in fact, we do most things on flat fees). You are someone who is also making an investment in our business. We respect your time and budget. We don’t bill you to listen to a voicemail you leave us. We want you to have an open dialogue with us so we can address concerns as they come up. We want you to call us and not worry about timers going off in our office.
- Responsive. One of the biggest compliments we get is our responsive approach. We answer the phone. We return calls and emails promptly. We don’t take two weeks to do a conflicts check. The turnaround on projects is on your timeline, not ours. At the end of the day, we should not be the reason you are not closing deals or signing new clients. We know the value of a client and understand from a sales perspective the value you place on your clients. How do we accomplish this? We write contracts with your audience in mind, and using language that is both defensible and understandable, so that you can feel comfortable explaining your own contract. We know that most business owners want to make it easy for folks to do business with them and we do our best to make this happen. Less negotiating on terms equals more signatures on the dotted line, which leads to paid invoices.
- And Finally, Community. We are active in the local business community. You will find us at events educating ourselves and networking along with you. You will also often find us, front and center, speaking on relevant topics that impact your business. We engage, grow and nurture our community – and we want to join yours.
