Strategic Legal Support for Start-ups and Scale-ups

We offer our services at a reduced rate and provide access to our extensive network, with the goal of building a solid legal foundation for sustainable growth together. Our approach is tailored to the unique stage, opportunities and risks faced by young, innovative businesses. This includes establishing a robust legal structure, supporting funding rounds, managing diverse interests and safeguarding long-term resilience.

We believe in partnerships based on mutual value creation — your growth and our long-term relationship are at the heart of everything we do. When working with Halsten, you’ll have a flexible team of legal professionals who know your business inside out and can step in when needed.

Below you’ll find more about our offer, services and conditions. Do you have any questions or would you like to arrange an informal introductory meeting? Please feel free to contact us at info@halsten.nl.

Financial Offering for Partner Start-ups and Scale-ups

When there is a match between our organisations, we offer:

• A free legal hotline of five hours in total
  Giving you immediate, access to one of our senior lawyers. This time can be used for advice on a specific question or a broader discussion of the do’s and don’ts. It also deepens our knowledge of your business and objectives, ensuring we are well-prepared for follow-up queries and can act quickly.
• Discounted rates on our services
  From the moment our collaboration officially begins. This discount is agreed for a specific period, after which an extension can be discussed. The terms depend on the stage, business needs, and intensity of the engagement.
• Volume discounts on larger projects
  For substantial projects, including additional strategic sessions or tailored support – for example, investment rounds or international expansion – we apply discounts once a project exceeds a set number of hours.
• Access to our CSR budget
  Depending on the product or service.

What a Collaboration Structure could look like

Step 1 – Free hotline
In the initial phase, we could schedule a weekly half-hour meeting with one of our senior lawyers for ten weeks – amounting to a free hotline of five hours.

Step 2 – Discounted support for a defined period
After these ten weeks, one of our junior legal counsel might begin working on an employment law matter, for example, in preparation for further expansion or reward schemes. Our junior could work around eight hours per week at a 15% discount for a period up to six months. A senior lawyer oversees the project and spends approximately two hours per month on it at a 5% discount. After the first six months, we offer the same discount for an additional six months.

Step 3 – Volume discount for larger projects
For a larger project, maybe an investment round requiring significant hours, we offer a volume discount:

• When more than 32 hours per month are made, we apply a 10% discount on the hours beyond the initial 32 hours.
• When 64 hours per month are exceeded, the discount increases to 15% on those additional hours.

This approach ensures flexibility and tailored pricing aligned with the needs of your business.

Key Benefits of Working with Halsten

• Extensive network
  Our legal counsel and lawyers have a broad network of contacts that can be highly valuable for a company’s growth.
• Flexibility without fixed overheads
  Scale up quickly and scale down just as fast. There are no obligations, meaning no work equals no cost, yet the expertise remains available.
• Direct availability
  Access to professionals across a wide range of legal topics, all employed by Halsten, therefore low risk.
• Cost efficiency and tailored support
  High-quality legal assistance at competitive rates, without the overhead or continuous costs of an in-house counsel. We tailor our support to your specific issues, expertise needs, and internal capacity, ensuring the most cost-effective solution.
• Pragmatic, hands-on approach
  Practical, applicable legal advice without unnecessary complexity.

Selection Criteria and Tailored Collaboration

We work with start-ups and scale-ups that:

• Are at a stage where legal support is both strategically and structurally relevant.
• Align with our vision and values, and operate in sectors and markets that we are familiar with and believe in – with a product or service that we support.

For each request, we assess whether there is a strong content based and cultural fit. We consider factors such as potential for success, vision, the legal complexity of the business model, and the fit between the respective teams. Whether we proceed with a collaboration also depends on the availability of our experts at that time.

Support that Halsten Offers

Structuring the Business

• Advice on legal structures (e.g. BV vs CV vs partnership) and governance frameworks.
• Drafting shareholders’ agreements, including arrangements on control, share transfers, and exit mechanisms.
• Protecting founders and planning ahead for scenarios such as conflicts or the departure of a key partner – and acting when such situations arise.

Intellectual Property (IP) and Trade Secrets

• Ensuring the company’s assets are properly protected to maintain value, with various protection strategies depending on the market and business goals.
• Creating and securing IP rights (e.g. trademarks, copyrights, patents) and working with patent attorneys where needed. Drafting NDAs and IP clauses in employment and contractor agreements.

Contract Management

• Drafting templates and terms of business, including legally required notices and policies for websites (e.g. privacy, e-commerce) and marketing materials.
• Setting up and maintaining an online system for managing contracts and agreements with suppliers, partners, and customers.

Guidance on Funding Rounds

• Legal support during pre-seed, seed, and Series A rounds.
• Assistance with due diligence and drafting investment documentation (e.g. SAFEs, convertible notes, and shareholders’ agreements).
• Advice on structuring equity, voting rights, and governance post-investment.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Support with compliance on relevant legislation (e.g. sustainability, data privacy, environmental regulations).
• Developing internal policies and procedures suited to the company’s growth stage.

Legal Sparring Partner with Strategic Insight

• Halsten acts as a legal business partner, proactively advising on strategic decisions, such as market entry, international expansion, investments, or collaboration agreements.