We set up your legal function from scratch—efficient and scalable.
Growing companies either lack a legal department or have an overloaded individual. Legal matters are handled reactively, processes are missing, and decisions are delayed. External law firms are expensive and difficult to manage. You lack internal legal structures, but your deals are becoming more complex. Investors are asking about compliance. And legal issues are increasingly consuming C-level time. At the same time, external legal costs are rising, and results often don't translate into templates and processes. It's time for your own legal team.
With Legal Foundation—Your First Legal Department you get:
Policies and processes for procurement from a legal perspective
Development of a playbook for handling customer demands
Drafting market-standard contract templates aligned with your risk profile
Efficient negotiations without coordination overhead
Ongoing support for contract negotiations
Legal Enablement
Risk Appetite Workshop
Building Legal Operations
Our Clients
We know software companies from the inside, drawing on our own experience as General Counsel.
As internationally active tech lawyers, we can support you with a high degree of pragmatism and legal acumen. This is because we come from large law firms and have personally established legal departments with efficient processes in fast-growing software companies. Furthermore, we have extensive experience advising companies on the procurement of digital solutions.
Three steps to a pragmatic solution
We find pragmatic solutions for our clients, working in a structured way and with strong business sense.
Free Initial Consultation
We map out the situation with your decision-makers and analyze the status quo.
Pragmatic
Implementation
We solve the problem collaboratively, quickly, and pragmatically.
Lasting
Self-Sufficiency
We build structural solutions where needed, such as scalable processes, contracting playbooks, and training.
What our clients say
Real-world success stories
LEXCHANGE supported us with legal advice and in building Checkmk's legal structure as part of a "Legal Team as a Service". Beyond their professional expertise, I was particularly impressed by their direct communication and personal approach, which perfectly align with our corporate culture.
Here's what your success looks like
After roughly 9-10 months, you have a fully functioning legal department that holds up in day-to-day operations.
1) Your first legal hire is in place
Your first legal hire is on board. We support the selection and interview process, assess legal skill and practical fit, and ensure clean onboarding. You don't get "just anyone"—you get someone who fits your stage, product, and industry.
2) Structures and processes are running
There is a clear intake channel for requests. Teams know when Legal needs to be involved—and when it doesn't. The contract process is defined from request to signature, with clear responsibilities and escalation paths.
3) Templates are ready to use
You have market-standard templates that work in real deals—for example, an NDA, MSA/SaaS agreement, and other standards. The documents are consistently structured, enterprise-ready, and lead to fewer extra negotiation rounds.
4) Data protection and AI topics are set up cleanly
Your GDPR documentation is in place. Processes for data subject requests and incidents are clear. Where needed, DPIAs (data protection impact assessments) are prepared or completed. There is a workable process for purchasing SaaS and AI tools, and the relevant teams are trained.
5) Playbooks provide guidance
You have playbooks matched to your risk appetite. Sales and Product get clear guardrails: What's okay? What needs approval? What gets escalated? Typical questions are answered faster.
6) We take on the work—and hand it over cleanly
During the build-up, we handle your ongoing legal matters. We negotiate with customers. We implement standards. We work in your tools and workflows like "external in-house counsel." At the end, there is a structured handover, and your new legal hire takes over seamlessly. No lost knowledge. No loose ends that blow up later.
Result: You free up capacity at the C-level and across your teams. Legal doesn't slow you down—it supports you. And you work with a setup that runs without a long ramp-up phase.
Selection and onboarding of a first legal hire who fits you and your culture
Scalable processes and templates for enterprise deals; fewer ad-hoc questions and time savings for management
The legal function exists before your first hire and grows with the company
What you specifically get
Structured process for the procurement of SaaS/software from a legal perspective (especially information gathering, responsibilities, approvals, documentation)
Questionnaires for reviewing legal requirements (such as the GDPR and the AI Act)
Procurement policy from a legal perspective for relevant decision-makers (Legal Awareness)
Ensuring documentation
Negotiation outcomes as a basis for independently handling customer demands
Distinguishing between market-standard and excessive customer demands
Identification of operational red flags in customer demands
Identification of unacceptable liability risks in customer demands
Terms and Conditions / Master SaaS Agreement
Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Order Forms and Statements of Work
Additional attachments, such as service descriptions, IT security requirements, or Data Act Addendum
Integration into your workflows for agile collaboration
Direct interaction with decision-makers eliminates coordination overhead
Results-oriented and efficient negotiation on an informed basis
Results-oriented negotiation of customer contracts alongside Sales
Legally compliant negotiation of service provider contracts alongside Procurement
Implementing regulatory requirements in contract negotiations (e.g., GDPR, AI Act, or DORA)
Contract documentation
Workshops for Sales, Legal, and Product teams to train on the new contractual framework, enterprise templates, deal playbooks, and escalation logic
Explanation of contract templates using practical examples: "How we respond to this redline"
Optional: regular coaching sessions in the first weeks
Assessment of your risk appetite through a questionnaire
Workshop with the Go-to-Market team to develop your standard positions on recurring contractual issues
Documentation of a risk matrix
Identifying quick fixes for handling complex customer requests
Legal Intake Process for Procurement/Sales
Legal Front Door
Legal KPIs
Transparent fixed-price investment
No hidden costs. No hourly rates. No surprises.
Predictable costs
Transparent pricing with no unpleasant surprises. You know from the start what the project will cost and can budget accordingly.
Clear expectations
Both sides know exactly what will be delivered and what it will cost. No endless discussions about scope changes or additional hours.
Focus on results
We are paid for results, not for time spent. This motivates us to work efficiently and achieve our goals quickly.
Risk is on us
If the project takes longer than planned, that's our problem, not yours. You have cost certainty and can plan with peace of mind.
Policies and processes for procurement from a legal perspective
Development of a playbook for handling customer demands
Drafting market-standard contract templates aligned with your risk profile
Efficient negotiations without coordination overhead
Ongoing support for contract negotiations
Legal Enablement
Risk Appetite Workshop
Building Legal Operations
Frequently Asked Questions from our clients
Three common models:
- Fixed price for clearly defined deliverables (e.g., a playbook or template set)
- Retainer for ongoing support (predictable monthly capacity)
- Time & materials for dynamic projects (with a cap or budget range)
We'll recommend the model that best fits your needs and planning requirements.
In short: we don't just deliver "legal opinions." We deliver results you can put into operation.
Key differences:
- In-house mindset (speed, priorities, stakeholder management)
- Playbooks & processes instead of one-off reactions
- Negotiation and deal focus (not just papering over risk)
- Legal ops + legal advice under one roof
Yes, that's exactly what we've done in-house ourselves. Typical building blocks:
- Operating model (roles, mission, interfaces with sales/IT/security/product, escalations)
- Contract landscape (templates, clause library, playbook, approval processes)
- Legal ops (intake, prioritization, KPIs, tooling, knowledge base)
- Compliance foundation (data protection, Data Act, AI Act, security addenda, vendor management, training)
The goal: scalable, deal-ready, and free of over-engineering.
We are a law firm, meaning we provide our services as licensed attorneys and thus under professional regulations (including confidentiality, independence and professional liability insurance).
At the same time, in addition to traditional legal advice, we also do Legal Ops/strategy and process work (e.g., playbooks, templates, workflows). However, for us, this isn't "just consulting," but rather implementation-oriented legal and contract work: We combine legally sound positions with pragmatic negotiation and implementation support.
In short: Lawyers, with additional operational implementation expertise (Legal Ops).
We offer a free Legal Health Check (bookable through our website). In a 45-minute discovery call, we analyze your situation, identify gaps, and map out a concrete roadmap. After that, you decide whether and how we work together.