Creation
The Pen
Ideas become companies. This is where building starts — entity formation, founder equity, contracts, and the innovation you’re bringing to life.
- Formation
- Contracts
- Equity
- Building
For Founders & Startups
Legal Counsel Built for Founders.
Founders move fast. Your legal counsel should keep pace. We help founders, startups, and growing technology companies build, grow, and protect what they’re creating — across Arizona, California, and Texas.
Licensed in AZ · CA · TX
Founder-led by former in-house counsel
Formation to exit
The Founder Journey
Every Great Company Starts Somewhere
From the first idea to the final exit, each stage brings its own legal questions. Here’s where we help — tap any stage to explore.
You have something worth building.
Before you write a line of code or sign a customer, the choices you make about structure and ownership shape everything after. We help you start clean.
Turning the idea into a company.
Entity selection, founder equity, vesting, and an operating agreement that reflects how you'll actually run and split the business.
Your first real agreements.
Customer contracts, terms of service, and SaaS agreements that get you paid and keep the relationship clean as you scale.
Building the team.
Employees vs. contractors, IP assignment, confidentiality, and handbooks — set up correctly before a misclassification or ownership gap costs you.
Raising capital.
SAFEs, convertible notes, priced rounds, and option pools structured so you understand the dilution and control implications before you sign a term sheet.
Scaling the operation.
Multi-state compliance, stronger contracts, IP portfolio, and the legal infrastructure a growing company needs.
Operating at scale.
Enterprise contracts, privacy and data obligations, employment scale-up, and governance that holds up under diligence.
Selling what you built.
Diligence preparation, deal structure, reps and warranties, and protecting your value through the transaction.
Our Philosophy
The Pen. The Accord. The Shield.
Our name is our approach. Ideas become companies. Companies grow through agreements. What you build deserves protection.
Relationships
The Accord
Companies grow through agreements. Partnerships, employees, investors, customers, and vendors — the relationships that let a business scale.
- Partnerships
- Employment
- Investors
- Customers
Protection
The Shield
What you build deserves protection. Risk management, intellectual property, compliance, and long-term strategy that safeguards everything you’ve created.
- IP
- Compliance
- Risk
- Strategy
Why Founders Choose Us
Built Around How You Work
Not a traditional law firm experience. A legal partner that understands how founders think and how modern companies operate.
Business-first
We start with what you're trying to build and where you're going — the legal work serves the business goal, not the other way around.
Technology-enabled
Modern tools handle the repetitive work, so more of your attorney's time goes to strategy and judgment — the parts that actually need a lawyer.
Clear communication
Plain-language answers, fast turnaround, and no billing surprises. You'll understand what we're doing and why.
Practical advice
We tell you what matters now, what can wait, and what the real risk is — not a list of everything that could theoretically go wrong.
Direct attorney access
You work with your attorney, not a rotating cast. Continuity means we actually know your business.
Licensed in AZ, CA & TX
One firm across three of the country's biggest startup markets — useful when you hire, incorporate, or sell across state lines.
Startup context
We work with founders, technology companies, and growing businesses — the issues you face are the issues we see every week.
Long-term partner
Formation to exit, we're built to grow with you — so your legal foundation compounds instead of getting rebuilt every stage.
Built for Modern Business
More Strategy. Less Busywork.
We’ve built modern systems into how the firm operates — efficient workflows, secure client portals, and streamlined document management. The point isn’t the technology. It’s what it frees up.
Technology helps us eliminate repetitive administrative work, so our attorneys spend more time providing strategic legal advice.
For you, that means faster turnaround, clearer communication, and a legal partner whose time goes toward judgment and strategy — the parts that actually move your business forward.
Faster turnaroundEfficient internal processes mean less waiting on routine work.
Secure client portalsShare documents and information safely, without email attachments flying around.
Clear communicationPlain-language updates and quick answers when you need them.
Strategic focusYour attorney’s time goes to the work that needs real legal judgment.
Founder & Managing Attorney
Meet Your Legal Partner
Nadine Deeb, Esq.
Business Attorney · Former In-House Counsel
Nadine works with founders, growth companies, and technology businesses on the legal decisions that shape how a company is built, funded, and protected. Her background as in-house counsel means she thinks like an operator — focused on practical business strategy, not just the letter of the law.
She founded Accord & Shield to give founders the kind of responsive, business-minded counsel that keeps pace with how modern companies actually move.
More About Nadine
Founder Resource Center
Guidance for Every Stage
Practical articles organized by where you are in the journey — not by legal category. Start where you need help.
Starting Your Business
Entity choice, founder equity, and getting the foundation right.
Raising Capital
SAFEs, convertible notes, and investor terms that keep you in control.
Contracts
The agreements every startup signs — reviewed before they bind you.
Hiring & Employment
Employees, contractors, and classification done correctly from day one.
Protecting IP
Copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, and clean ownership of what you build.
Technology & AI
SaaS terms, open-source, NDAs, and AI-era legal questions.
Privacy & Compliance
Privacy policies, terms, and multi-state compliance obligations.
Buying & Selling
Diligence, deal structure, and protecting value at exit.
Founder Legal Checklist
The Foundation Every Startup Needs
A starting point for the legal essentials. Check off what you’ve handled — and see what’s still open.
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This checklist is a general starting point, not legal advice. Which items apply — and how — depends on your business. Talk it through with us →
Our Process
Discover. Build. Protect. Scale.
A simple, repeatable way of working — so legal support fits the rhythm of your business.
Discover
We learn your business, your goals, and where you’re headed.
Build
Formation, agreements, and the legal foundation to move forward.
Protect
IP, compliance, and risk management as you grow and hire.
Scale
Fundraising, expansion, and the counsel to support your next stage.
Common Questions
Founder FAQ
Straight answers to the questions founders ask most.
Ideally before or at formation. Decisions made at the start — entity type, ownership split, and IP assignment — are the hardest and most expensive to fix later. A short conversation early usually costs far less than untangling problems after money, product, or a dispute enters the picture.
Most new companies need formation documents, an operating agreement or bylaws, IP assignment agreements, contractor or employment agreements, and baseline customer-facing terms. What you need beyond that depends on how you operate. Our corporate formation and contracts pages break these down.
Yes. A written founders’ agreement covers equity, roles, vesting, IP ownership, and what happens if someone leaves. Most founder disputes trace back to things that were never written down.
At minimum: terms of service, a privacy policy, and a subscription or SaaS agreement for paying customers. Depending on your data practices and your customers, you may also need a data processing agreement. Our privacy and policies page covers the details.
Before you start the raise. Investors will review your formation records, cap table, IP assignments, and key contracts. Cleaning those up mid-raise slows momentum; preparing early keeps diligence uneventful, which is the goal.
Yes. Nadine Deeb is licensed in Arizona, California, and Texas, and the firm regularly works with companies operating across those three states. Businesses with matters in other jurisdictions may need coordination with local counsel there.
No. A consultation is a conversation, not an engagement. An attorney-client relationship begins only after a conflicts check and a signed engagement agreement. Please do not send confidential or time-sensitive information until the firm has confirmed it can represent you.
Founder Stories
What Founders Say
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Let’s Build
You’re Building Something Important. Let’s Help You Protect It.
Whether you’re forming your company or preparing for what’s next, we’re here to help you move forward with confidence.