Co-Founder Joint Strategy Call

Co-founder joint strategy call: Irish founder pair, one hour, two perspectives

Most founder disputes start small and compound — split disagreements, ambition mismatches, role drift, vesting questions, equity buybacks for someone who is leaving. A one-hour joint call with both founders in the room and an independent solicitor on the other side gets the live tensions on the table, frames each one as a legal/operational issue, and produces a short follow-up note both founders can act on. This is not couples counselling for founders. It is structured legal triage for the questions you have been avoiding.

What is included

• One-hour joint video call with both co-founders (or up to three founders) and a qualified Irish solicitor.
• Pre-call intake: each founder submits separately the topics they want raised, in confidence.
• Live structured discussion of the priority topics — vesting, splits, leaver provisions, IP, decision-making, role definition, escalation.
• A short written follow-up note (one to two pages) sent within two working days, summarising the key issues and the recommended next steps.
• Each founder gets a copy and an opportunity to flag any factual corrections.
• Optional: one of three escalation paths quoted at the end of the note (no pressure to engage further).

Who this is for

Two or three founders working together in an Irish startup or SME who want a structured legal discussion of the operating questions before they become disputes. Particularly useful at the 12-24 month mark, around fundraises, when one founder is leaving, and during major commercial pivots.

Process and turnaround

1. Pay the fixed fee online and receive intake-form links by email — one per founder.
2. Each founder completes their intake separately and confidentially.
3. We schedule the one-hour video call within five working days.
4. You receive the joint follow-up note within two working days of the call.

Related services

• Co-founder equity split review (when the question is specifically about ownership)
• Founder shareholders agreement (the document this call usually leads to)
• Vesting agreement pack
• Founder vesting agreements (long-form guide)

Frequently asked questions

Can my co-founder and I both attend even if we disagree?

Yes — that is the design. The call is structured to surface disagreements rather than smooth them over. The solicitor’s role is to translate disagreements into legal/commercial framings, not to side with one founder. Most calls find that each founder is operating on partly different assumptions about the agreement; making those explicit is usually 80 per cent of the value.

Is what we say on the call confidential?

Yes. The call is subject to legal privilege as between the founders and the solicitor. The follow-up note is provided to both founders. Where one founder discloses something material that the other does not know (for example, a side conversation with an investor), the solicitor will pause and discuss whether it is appropriate to raise it before continuing.

What if we disagree on the equity split during the call?

Equity-split disagreements are common and the call is a productive forum for them. The solicitor will frame the question against the founders’ actual contributions, the standard Irish founder split patterns, and the vesting mechanisms that allow imperfect splits to be partially corrected over time. Most equity disagreements settle in the call or within the follow-up week.

What happens if one founder is leaving the business?

A founder departure is a frequent reason for booking this call. The legal questions divide into vested-equity treatment (good leaver vs bad leaver), unvested equity (does it return to the company), IP transfer, ongoing role (consultancy, board observer, none), and any release of personal guarantees. The call walks through each of these with both founders present.

Should we have separate solicitors instead?

For most operating-decision conversations, no — separate solicitors increase cost, slow discussion, and turn it into a negotiation. For active disputes where money or control is at stake (a contested founder departure, a forced share purchase), each founder should have separate advice. The call can clarify whether your situation is operating or disputed.

What is the difference between this and the equity split review product?

The equity split review is a single-topic deep dive on splits, with one or both founders. The joint strategy call is a broader conversation across multiple topics — typically 4-6 priority items per call. Founders often start with the joint strategy call and follow up with the equity split review where the splits question dominates.

Can we do this before we incorporate?

Yes, and many do. Pre-incorporation calls focus on the foundational questions: split, vesting, IP assignment, decision-making, and the structure for future hires. The follow-up note becomes the brief for incorporating the company and drafting the shareholders agreement.

Need ongoing legal support?

If your situation is more complex than this fixed-fee scope — multiple investors, multiple share classes, contested commercial terms — we can scope a tailored engagement. Email hello@onlinelegalservices.ie with a short summary and we will respond with options.

If appropriate, the allotted time will instead be given to answering questions via email for www.onlinelegalservices.ie.