Our Approach

Sophisticated legal services to protect your business.

West Hill is a boutique business law firm for companies that create or leverage technology. We provide our expertise to established public and private companies as well as start-ups and social enterprises throughout the Greater Boston Area and around the country.

Our attorneys have expertise developed by working for large law firms or as in-house counsel, including as chief legal officer. We use our experience to deliver sophisticated legal counsel without the overhead of traditional law firms. Solid legal advisors that work hard, solve real business problems and are pleasant to work with.

Whether you are a startup, established business or an in-house legal team, West Hill works with Clients in all stages of company growth.

Start-ups

As a new business owner, or serial entrepreneur starting a new company, there are many competing priorities. West Hill helps you allocate scarce resources to those legal tasks that will have the biggest impact.  We have found that these “legal priority lists” vary as much as our clients. For some, the most important step is to define and document relationships between founders. Other important early steps include:

  • protecting IP
  • hiring your first employees and independent contractors
  • negotiating initial vendor and customer agreements
  • raising capital

Let us help you grow your IP-focused business while minimizing risk and maximizing the potential for a successful exit.

Established Businesses

West Hill attorneys are dedicated to the success of our clients and provide pro-active, practical advice helping to avoid legal issues before they arise. This includes:

  • drafting easy-to-understand agreements that protect key business interests
  • protecting your hard work and your company’s value by creating an industry-specific strategy for IP protection that fits your budget
  • building your company’s value through choosing the right corporate structure
  • helping you determine the best option for financing the growth of  your business
  • providing you with cost-effective tools to help hire and retain staff and protect business assets
  • navigating the process of selling your company from due diligence through closing so that you can achieve the goals you set for pursuing your next opportunity

In-House Legal Departments

West Hill has a solution for inhouse legal departments that lack subject-matter expertise in software licensing, copyright protection and enforcement, and privacy. For many established companies, IP = patent.  Negotiating software licenses and understanding complex SaaS agreements is outside of their field of expertise.  We assist legal departments in addressing these issues in many ways including:

  • training for legal department or technology teams on IP-related issues, including use of open source software, copyright attribution, and data rights assertions in government contracts and subcontracts
  • supporting marketing teams with strategic branding support, including trademark strategy, prosecution, and enforcement
  • negotiating complex research and development and licensing transactions with customers
  • providing overflow coverage for parental leave and sabbaticals
  • outsourced in-bound license and cloud computing negotiation for your IT department

Not all law firms understand your unique challenges as an in-house legal department.  As former in-house lawyers, we do. Our business-savvy, efficient, cost effective approach can  help make your legal department successful.

Launch Business

Launch Business

Choosing the right corporate structure is imperative when creating your company. Defining roles and expectations at the outset avoids costly disagreements later. Let us help you structure your corporation.

Protect Ideas

Protect Ideas

Intellectual property is one of the most valuable assets of your business. We can help you enhance your company’s value by creating an industry-specific IP strategy that fits your budget.

Establish Relationships

Establish Relationships

Agreements are fundamental to any business. But what is standard? What is negotiable? We assist clients by drafting easy to understand agreements and negotiating terms that protect key business interests.

Manage Risk

Manage Risk

Protecting personal information protects your business. Where do you start? We help navigate the complexities of data privacy and security obligations.

Access Capital

Access Capital

When it comes to financing your business there are many options: loans, investors, crowdfunding, and grant programs. We can help you determine which choice is the best fit for your business.

Hire Talent

Hire Talent

Your team builds your company’s value. Growing businesses have employment-related needs long before they need a human resources department. We offer cost effective solutions to help hire employees and engage independent contractors while protecting business assets.

Navigate Challenges

Navigate Challenges

Bringing a lawsuit, or defending against one, is challenging for any business. Our sophisticated litigation and alternative dispute resolution practice is driven by our desire to reach the best business result for your company.

Execute Exit

Execute Exit

Selling your company can be complex. We are here to help navigate the diligence and closing processes so that you can achieve the goals you set for pursuing your next opportunity.

Next, a bit about what we don’t do . . .

If you are looking for a law firm that will take you to the ball game, get you an incredible tee time, or wine and dine you at the hottest new restaurant, you are in the wrong place. We are lawyers, not cruise directors. We put your legal services budget to work with reasonable fees for the highest quality services, not box seats and country club memberships. We like it that way; we think you will too.

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