The patent-forward outside counsel playbook for tech companies.
Get the playbook for patent value, investment readieness, clean governance, and the counsel you need to support you.
Send me the playbook
Three pillars of continuous outside counsel work.
The playbook is organized around the three jobs that determine whether a technology company grows, gets funded, and exits well, written for founders, general counsels, and investors who want a structured framework rather than ad hoc legal help.
Maximize patent value
Continuous portfolio strategy. Quarterly reviews. Filings tied to company milestones, not the lawyer's clock. The portfolio status one-pager that goes to the board.
Position for investment & acquisition
Monthly market and competitor surveillance. Product-IP alignment as features evolve. The four things acquirers actually check during diligence and how to keep them in good order.
Preserve company value
Smart employment and contractor agreements. Clean equity grants. Board minutes and written consents. Investor agreement hygiene. The corporate housekeeping that prevents diligence drag.
Built for technology companies between founding and exit.
The playbook is written for the people who actually make outside counsel decisions at a technology company, and for the investors who care whether those decisions are being made well.
- Founders & CEOsSeed through Series B. You are deciding what outside counsel actually looks like for your company. This playbook gives you a framework to evaluate the engagement, not the lawyer.
- General CounselsAt later-stage companies. You need specialist outside support on patent strategy, IP-driven M&A prep, and AI governance. This playbook describes how to scope that relationship for predictable budgets.
- Investors & VCsWith technology portfolio companies. You want a structured framework for evaluating outside counsel work at portfolio companies and for flagging when something is missing.
Fixed-fee monthly packages, scoped to your stage.
The final page of the playbook describes the engagement structure: monthly fixed fees, defined scope, predictable billing, and quarterly true-ups. Four tiers, scoped by company stage and the cadence of corporate activity.
Foundation
Pre-seed through seed. Standard corporate housekeeping, limited patent filing, contract review on demand.
Growth
Seed through Series A. Active patent strategy, monthly market surveillance, standing engineering check-ins.
Scale
Series A through Series B. Dedicated counsel time, formal FTO posture, AI governance maintenance.
Custom
For companies with non-standard cadence: multi-product, regulated, or post-Series B. Scoped from a starting conversation.
Jeff Schell
Jeff Schell is Managing Partner of Whiteford's Mountain West practice and serves as outside general counsel to technology companies. A patent attorney, venture capitalist, and former two-time founder, he leads engagements at the intersection of patent strategy, AI risk, venture growth, and corporate operations. Since 2012, his work has supported the creation of over $100 million in transaction and enterprise value across Colorado's technology ecosystem.