First Circle Law

Outside General Counsel to Bleeding Edge Companies

[First Circle Law @firstcirclelaw]

What he said 👇🏼

[Drew Morris | First Circle Law @Drew_Morris]

Pro tip:

Lawyers who love their jobs will invariably deliver better service than disgruntled burn out cases.

When selecting a lawyer, screen for career satisfaction + optimism in addition to technical chops.

[Drew Morris | First Circle Law @Drew_Morris]

Ready to do my part to help stabilize global financial markets…

I've decided today is as good a day as any to announce my very first pivot as a founder. 🙌

After a month of being on my own, I’ve realized that the whole “fractional” concept is cool and great for some people, but it’s actually not what I want to do with my life’s time and energy.

Instead, I want to build something I’ve always believed deserves to be built, and what Atrium valiantly attempted to create: a next-generation, founder-friendly law firm for early-stage companies that is a pleasure to work with.

Biglaw firms have their merits, but they are massive, and their fees have gotten out ahead of the early-stage market. Founders need something more nimble, cost-efficient, and user-friendly than what the Biglaw model is designed to support.

This type of law firm has long existed in concept, and it’s time for someone to make it a reality. I finally asked myself, “Why not me?”

So, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to practice law the way I would want it to be done for me if I were in the founder’s seat: lightning-fast response times, pricing packages that can flex up or down to meet the needs of the early-stage market, and a commitment to remarkable hospitality in every interaction.

Right now, I’m the only lawyer, and that’s intentional. I want to spend the next three to six months deep in the weeds, handling all the work on both the client service and company-building sides of this endeavor. I intend to use this time to grow the business thoughtfully while keeping an open mind and absorbing as much as I can about what early-stage founders need from a corporate law firm specifically designed for them.

Looking ahead, I have ambitions to blow this thing out. I wouldn’t be doing this if I weren't serious about finding product-market fit and making First Circle a go-to law firm for early-stage founders.

So, here we go…Off to the races.

First Circle GC, the next-generation law firm built specifically for early-stage founders, is officially open for business.

Look forward to hearing from you,
Drew
https://t.co/g5jAEC8vAO

[First Circle Law @firstcirclelaw]

👋 there

[Drew Morris | First Circle Law @Drew_Morris]

Today is the start of something new.

After an incredible run at TRM, I am excited to announce the launch of First Circle GC, a Fractional General Counsel consulting firm for fast-growing technology companies.

Why now?
Simple. I've always had an itch to do something entrepreneurial, and I've never been more ready to take a shot on goal.

I've spent my entire career as a corporate lawyer for rapidly scaling organizations, both in Biglaw and as the first legal hire at two companies.

For me, building a legal department is the art of bringing order to chaos. I love it.

The Need:
Most companies wait too long to hire a GC and build out their legal function.

I get it. Lawyers are expensive. It’s difficult to size up their backgrounds and whether or not they will be a cultural fit within a tight knit group of laser focused builders.

Companies usually wait until they’re feeling max pain and then rush to throw money at the problem. It's like taking powerful medicine to treat the symptoms of a disease instead of making the right lifestyle decisions early on to avoid ever getting sick in the first place.

I believe there's a better way for companies to live, and that's why I'm doing this.

The Model:
I personally will do the following:
• Work with companies I believe in to build a high functioning, full service in-house legal department before these companies have built one on their own
• Take legal departments from zero-to-one and beyond
• Have a blast along the way

The Services:
• Corporate governance and risk management
• Commercial contracting (drafting, negotiating, and managing agreements with key partners, vendors, and customers)
• Outside counsel management and cost optimization
• Contract lifecycle management (CLM) build and rollout for fully automated contracting in Ironclad
• Employment law, compensation and equity plan management
• Venture financing transactions
• Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) support

What’s Next:
It’s day one. We’re open for business. I’m ready to go.

If you want me to build your company a legal department, give me a holler.

I’d love to learn more about what you’re working on.

DM’s are open.