The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law [Paperback]

Constance E. Bagley (Author), Craig E. Dauchy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0324042914 | ISBN-13: 978-0324042917 | Publication Date: July 22, 2002 | Edition: 2

A must for business owners, this comprehensive yet succinct legal guide helps entrepreneurs identify legal issues and avoid legal pitfalls. It follows the progression of a start-up business and anticipates its legal concerns every step of the way - through the stages of growth up to an IPO and everything in between. Completely in tune with an increasingly electronic business market, the book offers valuable insight into legalities of the bustling e-commerce trade, including coverage of e-contracts, electronic signatures, trademarks, domain names and other issues involved with intellectual property and cyberlaw. It also covers employee privacy, e-mail monitoring and alternative dispute resolution. And The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Business Law offers practical tips for buying and selling a business, as well as discussions on the implications of gaining a “global” presence.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Constance E. Bagley is Professor in the practice of law and management at the Yale School of Management, where she focuses her research on the intersection of law and management, and the ability of top management teams to use the law to create value, marshal resources, and manage risk. A former corporate securities lawyer, Professor Bagley taught at the Harvard Business School and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and has written several articles and books on the subject of business law. Professor Bagley received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the Harvard Law School and her A.B., with Honors and Distinction, from Stanford University.

Craig E. Dauchy is a partner at Cooley Godward Kronish LLP's Palo Alto office, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and head of the Venture Capital practice group firm-wide. With nearly 600 lawyers and additional offices in Palo Alto, San Francisco, and San Diego, California; New York City, New York; Reston, Virginia; Washington D.C., and Broomfield, Colorado and Boston, Massachusetts. Cooley Godward Kronish is one of the nation's leading law firms providing counsel to entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. The firm has represented both issuers and underwriters in nearly 400 public offerings in recent years and consistently ranks among the Top 10 law firms handling venturebacked initial public offerings for companies in the United States. In recent years, the firm has represented companies or underwriters in more than 200 public offerings, including more than 100 IPOs. Mr. Dauchy has represented entrepreneurs, emerging companies, and venture capitalists in diverse industries, including medical devices, software, health care, electronics, and consumer products, for more than 30 years. He is a frequent lecturer on matters relating to securities law and public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital. He also serves on a number of advisory boards and boards of directors. Mr. Dauchy has a J.D. and an M.B.A. from Stanford University and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in history from Yale University. He is a member of the State Bar of California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 730 pages
• Publisher: Thomson South-Western West; 2 edition (July 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0324042914
• ISBN-13: 978-0324042917
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and readable, August 19, 2006

By 

Mark R. Zitter "Busy CEO" (Northern New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law (Paperback)

I've been a CEO for 17 years, and recently became involved with another startup company. Although there was an attorney on the board, I wasn't certain that the corporate form that had been selected was optimal. This book was recommended by the Stanford Center for Entrepreneurship as a great resource, so I picked it up. It has turned out to be very valuable. After reading the chapter on corporate form we switched from an LLC to a C Corp. I found myself advising some pretty smart lawyers on this issue.

The book covers many other topics relevant to startup companies, such as selecting an attorney, forming a board, and developing a stock options plan. What I like most is the authors' ability to provide just the right amount of background information (unavoidable when discussing legal issues) and immediately demonstrating practical implications. There are some useful charts outlining various approaches and their pros and cons: for example, I found the chart on corporate forms (LLC vs. C corp. vs. S corp., etc.) terrific.

The authors use numerous real-life case studies to bring concepts to life. Also, a very nice feature of the book is a substantial fictitious case study that is advanced at the end of every chapter, illustrating that chapter's key points.

The chapter organization of the book by topic makes it easy to pick and choose the sections you want to read. The order of the chapters is a good roadmap for the order in which an entrepreneur would want to consider the issues. The chapter on choosing and managing a lawyer will itself save you far more money than you'll spend on this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, just not for me., November 27, 2007

By 

Eric Behnke "Eric" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law (Paperback)

This book goes into great detail about all aspects of Business Law. Anyone who currently owns a business or is thinking about opening a business needs to read this book, or at least have it near by as a reference guide.

However, the book is certainly aimed at Corporate USA and those who are looking to start up a BIG business. If you are looking to open or currently own a Small Business, then there are better books on the market that are tailored more to your needs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reference, January 5, 2007

By 

Steven K. Gold "Serial Entrepreneur & Author ... (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law (Paperback)

This book deserves to be on the shelf of every entrepreneur. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law will take you on a virtual tour of the start-up process, and beyond, from the legal perspective. As experienced entrepreneurs understand, any business is a web of relationships, many of which are detailed in legal documents. This is the case for the relationship (establishment) of the entity with the state, relationships between co-founders, relationships between employees and the company, relationship between the company and its investors, suppliers, customers, etc. The legal foundation for all of these is clearly explained, and this book includes a wealth of practical information that will help any entrepreneur to work more efficiently and effectively with their legal counsel.

Steven K. Gold
Author, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture