Spent years watching founders get burned by the same three clauses. None of this is exotic — it's just stuff nobody reads until it's too late.

1. IP assignment scope. If your contractor agreement doesn't explicitly assign ALL work product (not just "deliverables") to the company, you may not own the code, designs, or content you paid for. Freelancers technically retain copyright by default in most jurisdictions unless the contract says otherwise.

2. Indemnification carve-outs. Standard SaaS vendor contracts often cap their liability at fees paid (sometimes just one month's worth) but leave YOUR indemnification uncapped. Read the mutual vs. one-way language closely — it's rarely actually mutual.

3. Assignment/change-of-control clauses. Buried in almost every vendor and lease agreement. If you raise a priced round or get acquired, some contracts let the other party terminate or renegotiate terms simply because your cap table changed. This has killed acquisitions at the LOI stage.

None of these require a lawyer to catch — you just need to know where to look. That's the whole premise behind what I'm building: plain-English legal breakdowns for founders, every week, no bill by the hour.

I've spent the last few years digging through cap table disasters and founder disputes, and the pattern is always the same. Three mistakes show up over and over:

1. Handshake co-founder splits. No vesting schedule, no equity agreement in writing. Then six months in, someone leaves and still owns 50% of the company. Every co-founder relationship needs a vesting schedule from day one — even if you trust each other completely. Especially if you trust each other completely.

2. Using generic templates for IP assignment. If a contractor or early employee writes code, designs your logo, or builds your product without a signed IP assignment agreement, they may legally own it — not you. This kills acquisitions and fundraises when it surfaces in diligence.

3. Raising on a SAFE without understanding the stacking problem. Multiple SAFEs with different caps and discounts compound in ways founders don't model out. By the time the priced round happens, founders are shocked at how much they've given away.

None of this requires a $600/hr law firm to get right — it requires knowing what to ask for before you sign anything. That's exactly the gap I'm building The Legal Ledger to close: a weekly briefing that decodes the legal moves that actually matter for founders, without the jargon.

Happy to answer questions on any of these in the comments.