LLC & Entity Formation
Texas LLCs, S-Corps, C-Corps, and series LLCs structured for tax efficiency and clean asset protection. We file, draft your operating agreement, and set you up for the next round of capital.
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What We Do
Business law services for every stage of growth.
Sterling & Hayes Legal is the outside general counsel that Austin small businesses, startups, and founders actually keep on speed dial. From the day you file your certificate of formation through your eventual exit, we deliver clear, commercial, founder-friendly advice across the full lifecycle of your company.
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Practice Areas
Eight core service areas, one accountable team.
Pick the engagement that fits the moment - a single contract review, a full formation, a years-long fractional GC relationship. Same lawyers, same standards, every time.
Contracts & Agreements
MSAs, SaaS terms, vendor agreements, NDAs, partnerships - drafted, reviewed, and negotiated to protect your downside without killing the deal. Typical 48-hour turnaround on standard reviews.
Learn more →Employment Law
Offer letters, handbooks, contractor agreements, equity grants, separations, and the Texas-specific non-compete rules most online templates get wrong. Full lifecycle employer compliance.
Learn more →Intellectual Property
IP audits, licensing, assignment agreements, trade-secret protection, and disputes. If your IP is the business, we treat it like the business - not an afterthought tacked on at diligence.
Learn more →Trademarks
USPTO clearance searches, federal filings, Office Action responses, and brand-monitoring programs. Lock down your brand before a copycat seller does it for you on Amazon.
Learn more →Regulatory Compliance
Privacy (CCPA, GDPR, the new Texas Data Privacy Act), FTC advertising, consumer protection, and industry-specific compliance for healthcare, fintech, and regulated SaaS.
Learn more →M&A & Exits
Buy-side and sell-side counsel for SMB acquisitions, asset and stock deals, and founder exits. We run diligence, draft purchase agreements, and close - typically inside of 90 days.
Learn more →Business Litigation
Contract disputes, partnership breakups, IP claims, and employment matters in Travis County and statewide Texas courts. Strategic resolution - mediation, arbitration, or trial.
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How We Work
A four-step engagement built for founders.
No mystery, no opening retainer surprise. Here is exactly what happens after you book a consultation.
Intro Call
A 30-minute call with a senior attorney - not an intake coordinator. We understand the business, the timeline, and the risk. If we are not the right fit, we say so and refer you to someone who is.
Scoped Engagement
You receive a written scope with deliverables, timeline, and a flat or capped fee. You approve in writing. There are no open-ended hourly surprises and no work begins until you sign off.
Delivery
We execute on the agreed scope with weekly check-ins for anything longer than two weeks. Drafts arrive in plain English with a one-page summary of what changed, what is risky, and what to decide.
Ongoing Counsel
Most clients stay on as a fractional general counsel relationship - a predictable monthly engagement that gives you a senior business lawyer on call for the moments that move fast.
Industries We Serve
Vertical depth where Austin is growing fastest.
We are generalists by training and specialists by repetition. Most of our small business clients live in one of these verticals.
Technology & SaaS Startups
SAFEs, priced rounds, equity, IP assignments, SaaS terms, AI and data privacy - everything Austin tech founders need to ship and raise.
For tech founders →Restaurants & Hospitality
Leases, TABC licensing, franchise structures, vendor and labor compliance - everything hospitality operators in the Austin market actually run into.
For operators →E-Commerce & Retail
Terms of service, FTC compliance, returns and payment disputes, trademark protection, Amazon brand registry, and platform takedowns.
For e-commerce →Sterling & Hayes is the rare firm that picks up the phone and gives you a real answer. They closed our Series A in record time and saved us from a cap-table mistake that would have haunted us for years.
Need a senior business lawyer in your corner this week?
Schedule a 30-minute consultation with a Sterling & Hayes partner. No pitch, no pressure - just a clear conversation about what you need and how we can help.