Originally published in Entrepreneur Magazine

By Miriam Rivera

It’s a commonly held perception that lawyers are ruining America, a view that can be especially resonant with entrepreneurs running startups who often find their legal dealings to be a major point of frustration as they grow their businesses. They complain that their attorneys slow down negotiations and the closing of deals urgently needed to bring in vital revenue. All that and they cost too much!

As a former lawyer and business person working as a venture capitalist to help startup founders reach their ambitions, I know that handling legal affairs poorly can crater the chances of a startup’s success. Entrepreneurs who learn to manage legal counsel effectively increase their odds of winning customers and closing financings — decreasing their chances of running out of cash. A chief executive and her lawyer should work together like winners in a three-legged race, moving smoothly in tandem, each aware of their responsibility and how to respond to the actions of the other.

Managing your relationship with your lawyer starts with understanding the orientation of the legal mind. Entrepreneurs that run startups are comfortable wearing many hats to make their businesses successful and typically like to work in a non-confrontational, quick and collaborative manner. That’s not how the mind of your typical corporate lawyer works.

Read the full article at https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/295593

Miriam Rivera is a Kauffman Fellow and a co-Founder and Managing Partner at Ulu Ventures.