Raphael Gil is admitted in New York and Washington. New York companies get counsel admitted in the state whose rules govern them, working remotely rather than billing for a Manhattan office.
New York requires a newly formed LLC to publish notice in two newspapers designated by the county of formation, for six consecutive weeks, and then file a Certificate of Publication. In the downstate counties the newspaper charges alone can exceed the formation cost. Founders who organise in New York without planning for it are routinely surprised.
New York requires written agreements for freelance engagements above a statutory value, with payment terms stated, and provides penalties where a company does not comply. Businesses that run on contractors and handshake scopes of work are the ones most exposed.
New York's data security law reaches any business holding private information about New York residents, wherever that business sits. It requires a reasonable safeguards programme, not just breach notification, which catches companies that assumed a policy document was enough.
New York requires pay ranges in job postings, and New York City has its own ordinance alongside the state rule. Compliance at state level does not automatically mean compliance for a role based in the city.
New York City requires an independent bias audit before an employer uses an automated employment decision tool, along with notice to candidates. Any startup putting AI into screening or ranking for a New York City role is inside this rule, often without realising it.
For contracts above a statutory threshold, New York permits parties to select New York law and New York courts even where neither side is based here. It is one reason New York choice-of-law clauses appear in commercial agreements nationwide, and a reason to understand what you are agreeing to when one appears in yours.
Choosing between a New York LLC, a New York corporation and a Delaware entity authorised to do business here — including planning for the LLC publication requirement before it becomes an unbudgeted bill.
Customer and vendor agreements, MSAs and NDAs drafted for New York governing law and forum, which is where a great many commercial agreements end up regardless of where the parties sit.
Offer letters, handbooks, contractor agreements and pay transparency practice reviewed against both the state rules and New York City's additional ordinances.
Safeguards programmes, vendor terms and incident response scoped for New York's requirements alongside GDPR and CCPA where those also apply.
SAFEs, convertible notes and equity financings for New York startups, and the diligence preparation that precedes them.
A note on the above. Everything on this page is a general description of New York law, not legal advice, and none of it is tailored to any particular business. Statutes change, thresholds are adjusted, and local ordinances vary inside the state. Whether any of it applies to you turns on your specific facts. Raphael is admitted in New York and Washington; questions governed by the law of another state get referred to counsel admitted there.