Business & Transactional Law · Los Angeles

A modern firm built for entrepreneurs.

Eight Law is a full-service, dynamic business law firm built for efficiency, effectiveness, and results. Form the company right, sign better contracts, raise with clean paperwork, and exit on terms that protect what you built — from conception to exit.

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Flat-fee, retainer, or hourly optionsDirect access to your attorneyBased in Los Angeles
Conception to Exit

Counsel for the entire life cycle of a business.

  1. 01

    Formation

    Entity selection, incorporation, founder agreements, and IP assignment — the foundation set right from day one.

  2. 02

    Growth & Financing

    Seed and venture financing, cap table structuring, and the agreements that keep a growing business clean.

  3. 03

    Operations

    Ongoing contracts, employment agreements, vendor negotiations, and day-to-day general counsel support.

  4. 04

    Exit

    M&A, acquisition due diligence, and negotiating the terms that protect what you built.

What We Do

Counsel for every stage of the business.

Three practice areas, one firm — so the advice you get at formation still fits when it's time to raise, grow, or sell.

Business Planning

Formation, founder and ownership agreements, early capital, and IP ownership — the foundation set right from day one.

  • Entity selection and formation
  • Founder, operating, and shareholder agreements
  • Stock offerings, SAFEs, and seed & venture guidance
  • NDAs, IP assignment, and IP protection
Explore Business Planning

Outside General Counsel

Ongoing legal counsel for growing companies — contracts, hiring, governance, financing, and risk — without a full-time hire.

  • On-call advice on day-to-day legal issues
  • Client, vendor, and employment contracts
  • Financing, liability, and risk strategy
  • Board consents, equity grants, and corporate housekeeping
Explore Outside General Counsel

Transactions & Negotiations

Contract review, drafting, and negotiation for commercial deals, financings, and the sale or purchase of a business.

  • Contract review with a prioritized issues list
  • Drafting and redlining commercial agreements
  • Negotiation to move discussions along
  • Financing documents, M&A, and asset sales
Explore Transactions & Negotiations

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Who We Work With

Built for founders and the businesses they grow.

Whether you're filing your first formation documents or negotiating a sale, the work is the same: clear advice, clean documents, and terms that fit the business.

  • Starting

    Founders starting something new

    You have an idea, a co-founder, or a first customer, and want the company set up right from day one.

  • Raising

    Startups preparing to raise

    You're lining up a SAFE, a convertible note, or a priced round and want clean paperwork before investors look.

  • Operating

    Growing businesses

    Contracts, hires, vendors, and partners are coming in faster than you can review them on your own.

  • Exiting

    Owners buying or selling

    You're considering a sale, an acquisition, or bringing in a new partner and want terms that protect what you built.

  • Industries
  • Technology & SaaS
  • Consumer & Retail
  • Media & Entertainment
  • Real Estate & Hospitality
  • Professional Services
How Engagements Work

Three ways to work together.

Pick the structure that matches the work. We'll recommend one on the first call, and you can change it as the business changes.

Flat Fee

Defined projects

One clear deliverable, priced before work starts.

  • Entity formation and founder documents
  • A contract drafted or reviewed
  • A SAFE or convertible note package
  • A defined clean-up project before a raise
Monthly Retainer

Outside general counsel

Ongoing access for businesses where legal questions come up every week.

  • Day-to-day questions answered as they come up
  • Routine contracts reviewed and drafted
  • Governance and corporate housekeeping
  • Scaled up or down as your needs change
Hourly

Open-ended matters

For work where the scope can't be known up front.

  • Live negotiations
  • Acquisitions and sales of a business
  • Complex or multi-party transactions
  • Strategy sessions on a specific issue

Scope and fees are confirmed in writing before any work begins.

The Process

From first call to signed deal.

A clear path from the first conversation to an ongoing partnership.

  1. 01

    Discovery Call

    A no-pressure conversation about where your business is today and what you need legally to get to the next stage.

  2. 02

    Scope & Proposal

    A clear, upfront proposal — flat fee, retainer, or hourly — so you know exactly what you're getting and what it costs.

  3. 03

    Engagement Kickoff

    Direct access to Eight Law on your matter from day one — no hand-offs, no shuffling between contacts.

  4. 04

    Ongoing Partnership

    As your business grows, we grow with it — from the next round of financing to the eventual exit.

Why Eight Law

Boutique attention. Full-service reach.

Entrepreneurs don't need a legal department — they need a partner who moves at the speed of the business. Eight Law is built to be that partner: responsive, direct, and invested in outcomes rather than billable hours for their own sake.

We work the way founders work — clear priorities, plain-English advice, and documents built around what actually moves your business forward. You'll know what matters in a deal, what's standard, and what's worth pushing back on.

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  • Founder-first

    Guidance built around your priorities, not a one-size-fits-all engagement.

  • Full lifecycle

    From first incorporation to eventual exit, under one roof — so nothing gets lost between stages.

  • Direct access

    You work directly with Eight Law on your matter — not a rotating cast.

  • Plain English

    Clear explanations of what a document says, what it means for you, and what to do next.

  • Predictable fees

    Flat-fee, retainer, or hourly options, agreed in writing before work begins.

Our Philosophy
Eight Law is where game-changing companies are born.

A modern and efficient approach provides responsive, knowledgeable legal guidance to entrepreneurs covering the entire life cycle of a business — all with your bottom line in mind.

Business PlanningOutside General CounselTransactions & NegotiationsConception to Exit
Founder Education

Topics we help founders navigate.

Have a question on one of these? Send it over and we'll point you in the right direction.

01

Priming for Your First Raise

What investors' counsel actually checks in diligence, and how to have your cap table and agreements ready before term sheets arrive.

Ask us about this 02

Founder Equity Splits, Done Right

Vesting schedules, IP assignment, and the agreements that keep a co-founder relationship intact when things get hard.

Ask us about this 03

LLC to C-Corp, and When It Matters

Why entity choice isn't permanent, and the signs that it's time to convert ahead of a financing round or acquisition.

Ask us about this 04

SAFE, Note, or Priced Round?

How the common early-stage financing instruments differ, and what each one means for your ownership and your next round.

Ask us about this 05

The Contract Clauses Worth a Fight

Indemnities, liability caps, IP ownership, and termination rights — the terms that decide who carries the risk when a deal goes wrong.

Ask us about this 06

Selling Your Business: Asset or Stock Sale?

How deal structure shapes taxes, liabilities, and what you walk away with — and why it's worth deciding early.

Ask us about this
Founder Guides

Plain-English guides, with sources.

Short reads on the questions founders ask most — each linked to the official statutes and agency pages behind it.

Formation

LLC vs. Corporation in California: How to Choose

A plain-English comparison of California LLCs and corporations: liability, taxes, the $800 minimum tax, state filings, governance, and raising money.

Read the guide Financing

SAFE vs. Convertible Note: What Founders Should Know

How SAFEs and convertible notes work, the key terms (valuation cap, discount, interest, maturity), and the securities filings that come with raising money.

Read the guide Hiring

Independent Contractor vs. Employee in California: The ABC Test

How California's ABC test (AB 5, Labor Code § 2775) decides worker classification, the main exemptions, penalties for willful misclassification, and practical steps.

Read the guide

All guides

Free Download

The Startup Legal Checklist.

Formation to exit on a few pages: the documents, filings, and deadlines to have in place at each stage of the business.

Get the checklist
Cover of the Eight Law Startup Legal Checklist
Common Questions

What founders usually ask first.

Don't see yours? Email info@eightlaw.com.

When should I bring in a lawyer?
Earlier than most founders think. Getting entity formation, founder agreements, and IP assignment right at the start avoids expensive cleanup later — before a raise, a hire, or an exit forces the issue.
What's the difference between Eight Law and in-house counsel?
As outside general counsel, Eight Law gives you the same ongoing, on-call access to legal guidance as an in-house hire — without the overhead of a full-time salary, benefits, or a single point of failure.
How are engagements structured?
It depends on what you need. Eight Law works with clients on flat-fee project work, ongoing monthly retainers, and hourly arrangements, and will recommend the structure that fits your stage. Scope and fees are agreed in writing before work begins.
Will I know what it costs before work starts?
For defined projects — a formation, a set of founder documents, a contract review — you'll get a flat-fee quote up front. For ongoing or open-ended work, we'll agree on a monthly retainer or an hourly arrangement, with an estimate, before anything begins.
Who will I actually work with?
Eight Law is an attorney-led boutique. You work directly with the attorney handling your matter from the first call through closing — no hand-offs and no rotating cast.
What stage companies do you work with?
The full range — from first-time founders incorporating their first entity to established companies preparing for a financing round or an exit.
Should I form an LLC or a corporation?
It depends on your plans. Companies planning to raise venture capital often form as a corporation, while many owner-operated and closely held businesses prefer the flexibility of an LLC. Tax treatment matters too, so we'll talk it through with your goals — and your CPA — in mind before you file.
Do you work with businesses outside Los Angeles?
Eight Law is based in Los Angeles and admitted in California. Most work happens by phone, video, and email, so location is rarely a barrier for California businesses. If a matter turns on another state's law, we'll tell you up front whether local counsel is needed.
Do you handle lawsuits?
Eight Law's practice is business and transactional work — planning, contracts, and deals. If a matter turns into litigation, we'll tell you plainly and help you find the right litigation counsel.
What should I send before our first call?
A few sentences about your business and what you need, plus any documents in play — a term sheet, a contract you've been asked to sign, or your current formation documents. Please hold back confidential details until we've confirmed we can take on the matter.
Get In Touch

Let's build something that lasts.

Tell us where your business is headed. We'll tell you what it takes, legally, to get there.

Emailinfo@eightlaw.com
Phone323-616-4811
  1. Send a short note about your business and what you need.
  2. We'll set up a discovery call to talk it through.
  3. You'll get a clear proposal — flat fee, retainer, or hourly — before any work begins.

Tell us what you're working on

Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please don't send confidential information until we've confirmed we can take on your matter.