5 legal issues you need to understand before launching a startup

Nasreen Alissa—a Saudi lawyer, tech-humanitarian, and entrepreneur—is one of the growing numbers of Saudi women ruling the digital world. Owner of the “Nasreen Alissa Law Firm,” founder of “Know Your Rights”, and co-founder of “Gulflink”, Nasreen can help you stay one step ahead of your industry’s complex legal issues.

Launching a new product or business is an overwhelming experience, with entrepreneurship requiring that you become a jack of all trades. But when it comes to legal issues, taking the DIY approach is a big mistake, and it’s vital you don’t underestimate the wide range of legal issues young businesses face. Scaling might be the top priority for your startup, but what about the legal implications of rapid growth? Don’t leave these considerations until it’s too late.

Be sure to tick off this legal checklist before launching your startup.

Top 5 Legal Issues Startups Should be Aware of

The path to long-term success for every company is paved with legal consequences. Here are the key legal challenges startups face:

1). Business Structure
Your business structure will influence your liabilities and capacity to acquire funding. Make sure you have an agreement in place for outlining ownership, operational responsibilities, investment, and equity among company founders.

2). Intellectual Property Protections
Initiate appropriate patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. Protect your intellectual property including inventions, logos, and software to prevent costly legal battles when other companies infringe on your IP.

3). Non-disclosure Agreements
Issue non-disclosure agreements to protect your business strategy, trade secrets, algorithms, client information, and more.

4). Employee Contracts
Issue employee contracts. These legally-binding documents are there to protect both your employees’ rights and your company’s.

5). Privacy Policies
The issuing and management of privacy policy protections is your responsibility as the founder. These protections safeguard user data in the event of a security breach or external attack.

“Focus on continually developing and empowering yourself. Learn to be independent. Find a passion, a goal in life, and relentlessly pursue it.”

Nasreen Alissa is the founder of the Nasreen Alissa Law Firm, one of the few practices in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, owned& led by a female Saudi lawyer. The firm was established in 2018 to provide cutting-edge legal solutions to clients both local and international, with a focus on information technology, intellectual property, and corporate matters.

Nasreen founded the mobile application “Know Your Rights,” designed to educate Saudi women on their legal rights, and co-founded social media application “Gulflink,” which aims to connect people all around the Gulf region.
Follow Nasreen on Twitter @nasreenalissa and Facebook @nasreenalissalawfirm.

The story has been produced in collaboration with the sponsor.