3 ms·

As a higher income earner I've always found it important to spend the money to ask a Lawyer, CPA, second Doctor, Mentor, Coache, Inspector, and other people foc

As a higher income earner I've always found it important to spend the money to ask a Lawyer, CPA, second Doctor, Mentor, Coache, Inspector, and other people focused on a certain niche in life what they think for the $100/hr (or whatever) fee they charge. Always been worth it. If you're focused on tech, make sure you've hired the right people to review your NDA's, startup contract, new home purchase, or workout routine. Don't risk millions on a startup IPO / house / loved one without dropping a few hundred on a second/third opinion. You've got the money. Don't cheap out on important things when you could have an all-star team backing you.

munk-a 3y ago
Especially if you're going through an IPO or ownership exchange - put every document in front of a lawyer and accountant. You don't want to miss your opportunity to sell or make a mistake on the taxes.
jfim 3y ago
How do you work with/find a lawyer? Do you have them on a retainer agreement?
- dustingetz 3y ago
  upcounsel.com, cash hourly, contract review in usa will be like $300
- Terretta 3y ago
  Find and work with a lawyer that helps engineers extract themselves from one firm to land at a specifically competing firm. Since most engineers don't hire lawyers, it may be easier to find a lawyer that does this for Firm Z, to pull people from competing firms A - Y. In either case, ideally they will have had to go to arbitration and/or court against the original employer. This person will know what to look for in masses of boilerplate to help you zero in on and fix the 10 words here and there that can change not just your comp but your career options. Expect from $300 - $750 / hr, depending on the size role you're lawyering, which tends to indicate the amount of legalese, traps, and foot guns at play.
- sebmellen 3y ago
  https://upcounsel.com https://upcounsel.com is great for this. You basically post a “job” and get proposals from multiple lawyers with upfront pricing, deal structure, etc. and everything is negotiated through the platform.
ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago
Here's a submission that I made this morning (never made it out of new): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38111370 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38111370 It's an old video of a lecture Mike Monteiro (and his lawyer) did. Kinda speaks to this.
slap_shot 3y ago
I'll second the opinion of having your contracts reviewed, but will curb some expectations: most contracts (NDAs, employment agreements, home contracts etc) are fairly standard. There may be some small points to negotiate if they are off-market, but you had better have the leverage to negotiate.
- wavemode 3y ago
  That's a valid thing to keep in mind with big corporations. But if you're joining as employee number 5, and they claim they aren't willing to negotiate on something you dislike in the contract because it's "standard", you should leave the interview. It's exactly what they're talking about in the linked video - you think you're joining as a valued partner, but you're clearly just a cog in the wheel.
- paxys 3y ago
  If you get a SDE offer from Google then sure, there is probably no room for changes other than some adjustment to salary and stock. If you are employee #10 at a startup (which is what this video is about), everything is negotiable, and you are shooting yourself in the foot if you don't go over your contract with a magnifying glass and professional help.
cyrialize 3y ago
I like the mention of a workout routine. Trainers/physical therapists can help to figure out issues with your body and give you a list of stretches/exercises to help with it. I've spent my fair share of getting injured through lifting and each time I've bounced back because a video that a PT has shared has a patient with the same exact issue as me. I wonder how many injuries I could've avoided if I actually set up a session haha.

munk-a 3y ago

Especially if you're going through an IPO or ownership exchange - put every document in front of a lawyer and accountant. You don't want to miss your opportunity to sell or make a mistake on the taxes.

jfim 3y ago

How do you work with/find a lawyer? Do you have them on a retainer agreement?

dustingetz 3y ago
upcounsel.com, cash hourly, contract review in usa will be like $300
Terretta 3y ago
Find and work with a lawyer that helps engineers extract themselves from one firm to land at a specifically competing firm. Since most engineers don't hire lawyers, it may be easier to find a lawyer that does this for Firm Z, to pull people from competing firms A - Y. In either case, ideally they will have had to go to arbitration and/or court against the original employer. This person will know what to look for in masses of boilerplate to help you zero in on and fix the 10 words here and there that can change not just your comp but your career options. Expect from $300 - $750 / hr, depending on the size role you're lawyering, which tends to indicate the amount of legalese, traps, and foot guns at play.
sebmellen 3y ago
https://upcounsel.com https://upcounsel.com is great for this. You basically post a “job” and get proposals from multiple lawyers with upfront pricing, deal structure, etc. and everything is negotiated through the platform.

ChrisMarshallNY 3y ago

Here's a submission that I made this morning (never made it out of new): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38111370 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38111370 It's an old video of a lecture Mike Monteiro (and his lawyer) did. Kinda speaks to this.

slap_shot 3y ago

I'll second the opinion of having your contracts reviewed, but will curb some expectations: most contracts (NDAs, employment agreements, home contracts etc) are fairly standard. There may be some small points to negotiate if they are off-market, but you had better have the leverage to negotiate.

wavemode 3y ago
That's a valid thing to keep in mind with big corporations. But if you're joining as employee number 5, and they claim they aren't willing to negotiate on something you dislike in the contract because it's "standard", you should leave the interview. It's exactly what they're talking about in the linked video - you think you're joining as a valued partner, but you're clearly just a cog in the wheel.
paxys 3y ago
If you get a SDE offer from Google then sure, there is probably no room for changes other than some adjustment to salary and stock. If you are employee #10 at a startup (which is what this video is about), everything is negotiable, and you are shooting yourself in the foot if you don't go over your contract with a magnifying glass and professional help.

cyrialize 3y ago

I like the mention of a workout routine. Trainers/physical therapists can help to figure out issues with your body and give you a list of stretches/exercises to help with it. I've spent my fair share of getting injured through lifting and each time I've bounced back because a video that a PT has shared has a patient with the same exact issue as me. I wonder how many injuries I could've avoided if I actually set up a session haha.