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Startup Legal Support

Providing fully subsidized, in-house legal services to
the next generation of leading tech entrepreneurs.

Powered by

1:1 Legal strategy
sessions

Custom contract drafting
support

Save $10,000+ on
legal services

Introducing your personalized in-house legal clinic

Startup Legal Support is designed to support the advancement and commercialization of Canada’s tech ecosystem by helping startup founders navigate the legal landscape. Get affordable legal services you can trust for your startup with our in-house team of experts, comprehensive portal, and dedicated staff of lawyers and law students.

How it works

Founders within the DMZ have access to a suite of resources. Startup Legal Support (SLS) is simply another addition to that.

block 1

Legal strategy sessions

These sessions help founders assess their legal needs through the help of SLS. The goal is to minimize legal debt that will cost them more to solve in the future, or put their business at risk.

block 2

Custom contract drafting

Founders can access SLS for a suite of legal needs by submitting a request for a deliverable to be completed. The in-house legal team works with supporting firms to complete the submitted deliverable.

block 3

Legal education & training

Through a series of events and 1:1 sessions with law students, SLS provides founders with the resources they need to understand their legal assets and liabilities.

Areas of support

block 1

Corporate and Commercial Work

  • Incorporation
  • Drafting or amending Articles of Incorporation (establishing two class share structure)
  • Customary by-laws
  • Shareholder and Founder Agreements
  • Advisor Agreements
  • Non-Disclosure Agreements (Mutual and One-Way)
  • Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for website
  • Legal Strategy Sessions

block 2

Employment Law

  • Stock Option Plans
  • Employment Agreements (fixed and indefinite terms)
  • Independent Contractor Agreements
  • Co-Op Student Employment Agreements
  • Legal Strategy Sessions

block 3

Intellectual Property

  • Confidentiality and Ownership of Proprietary Property (CIOPP) Agreement
  • Basic Trademark Searches
  • Legal Strategy Sessions

"SLS program managed by Nicholas Hill is one of the most valuable services at DMZ! Nic has been a tremendous help for us to enter the Canadian market. He has supported us with key legal questions and preparing legal documentation from company setup, employment contracts to even more complex legal questions including regulatory compliance of our insurtech - Nic is the most competent person to turn to. It is a well managed program and I feel safe when working with SLS."
Kata Ludvig
CEO & Founder, baoba insurance
"This has been the best relationship we have ever had with a legal service provider, so we're excited to work together again soon."
Evan Sitler
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, XpertVR
"Nicholas and SLS have been invaluable in our development from a startup to a legitimate business. He's helped brainstorm and create key contracts that provide us the legal security yet startup flexibility early-stage companies want. We highly recommend Nicholas and his team at SLS for support with any legal document you team needs"
Leonard Ivey
Co-Founder, Softdrive
"Working with Nic & SLS powered by MT>Ventures is like having a Chief Legal Officer on your team. The turnaround time for important legal documents or just booking a call to chat about some legal bumps coming in the pipeline is something you can only dream of with a big law firm. SLS is an invaluable resource for me and my startup. I cannot recommend Nic and SLS enough for any of your legal needs at an early stage."
Jaydee Tarpeh
Founder and CEO, Avian
"As a startup founder it is always challenging to learn about every aspect of the business. Thankfully, Nic from SLS program alleviated this by providing professional legal support that has enabled us to launch and get to market on time. To date with this help we have been able to facilitate thousands of users to co-create products."
Pativet Sathiensamrit
Founder & CEO, Lightster

Startup Legal Support is available to founders in the DMZ's Incubator program

APPLY TO INCUBATOR NOW

Who we are

Juliesa Adolphus
Profile Module

Juliesa Adolphus

Partnerships and DMZ Legal Execution Lead
Nicholas Hill
Profile Module

Nicholas Hill

Head, Startup Legal Support & Legal Advisor

Partners




MT>Ventures lets startups shift focus from simply surviving the day-to-day, going beyond legal services to deliver access to the industry expertise, professional talent, and capital opportunities needed to realize their full potential. As a partner of the Startup Legal Support program, MT>Ventures oversees the provision of legal services of the clinic, including the review of certain legal work prepared by the law student caseworkers when further input is required. MT>Ventures also works with DMZ SLS staff to provide a variety of legal programming to DMZ founders.


The Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University is reimagining legal education in pursuit of a more just society. Its mission is to equip the lawyers of tomorrow with the contemporary skills and experience required to expand the reach of justice and respond to the evolving challenges that face Canadian society. Law students interested in working for the Startup Legal Support program can email the DMZ to inquire about opportunities here.