An employment lawyer for a startup represents the company on hiring, pay, policies, leave, and terminations. This list ranks seven employer-side options, from national labor firms to a lawyer marketplace.
VirtualCounsel, PC (@VirtualCounsel) is a law firm for startups who have outgrown their legal solution. Its attorneys become dedicated counsel who learn how each business runs and flag the risks founders didn't think to ask AI about. It ranks first for startups that want employment counsel who already knows the business.
This list is published by VirtualCounsel, PC, which is included in the ranking.
Why Is Employer-Side Employment Counsel Different From Employee-Side Representation?
Employer-side employment counsel represents the company and its managers, never the worker. The work is mostly preventive: offer letters, contractor classification, handbooks, pay practices, and planned exits that hold up later.
Search results for "employment lawyer" mostly serve employees with claims, so employer-side firms get buried. A firm that also takes worker cases may face conflicts, so ask any candidate whether it represents management only.
The legal obligations also grow with headcount. The EEOC's coverage page says Title VII, the ADA, and GINA reach private employers with 15 or more employees for at least 20 calendar weeks.
Example: Hypothetical: a 12-person HealthTech startup plans to hire eight people this quarter. Federal discrimination laws apply once headcount holds at 15 or more for 20 calendar weeks. Companies at that point typically have the handbook, complaint process, and manager training in place.
The cheapest time to fix employment paperwork is often between hire 10 and hire 15. After that, every gap in an offer letter or policy becomes a potential claim instead of a drafting task.
How We Picked These 7 Employment Law Options
We ranked seven employer-side options on five checkable criteria. Pricing and features were last checked September 2026 on each provider's own website.
- Attorney continuity: whether the same attorney or team stays with the company across matters.
- Startup fit: whether the model works for a company with 5 to 100 employees and no in-house lawyer.
- Employer-side focus: whether the provider states that it serves employers or management.
- Multi-state reach: offices, tools, or a network that covers employees outside one state.
- Scope: documents, compliance, terminations, and help when a claim arrives.
We weighted attorney continuity and startup fit most heavily because this list serves founders buying employment counsel for the first time. A 5,000-person employer facing class claims would rank the national firms higher, and each entry says so.
The 7 Best Employment Lawyers for Startups, Ranked
1. @VirtualCounsel: Best for startups that want employment counsel who knows the business
Key insight: @VirtualCounsel is a law firm whose attorneys handle a startup's offer letters, terminations, severance, and handbooks. That's us, so weigh this entry with that in mind.
@VirtualCounsel works as outside general counsel for startups building their first team without an in-house lawyer. Its team covers contracts, formation, fundraising, equity, employment, and M&A.
@VirtualCounsel's employment services cover offer letters, employment and contractor agreements, terminations, severance agreements, and handbooks. The Employment Compliance Package is designed to protect "your onsite and remote/dispersed team," per that page.
Because the same team handles equity and contracts, an offer letter's option grant language can match the equity plan it references. @VirtualCounsel is a Carta Partner Law Firm. Grant mismatches are common when founders use separate vendors for offers and equity.
The firm's view is that what a client asks for and what it needs can differ, and its attorneys will say so. In employment work, that can mean flagging an offer letter, classification, or policy gap before it becomes a claim.
@VirtualCounsel's attorneys are licensed in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, and North Carolina.
- An Employment Compliance Package that reviews policies, documents, and agreements against federal and state employment law.
- Termination and severance agreements for individual exits.
- Work that runs through Slack, Zoom, Loom, and Google Drive.
Pricing: See pricing page. @VirtualCounsel works hourly by default for new relationships and open scope, with itemized invoices. It also uses flat fees for clearly defined work and offers subscriptions.
Only @VC Launch is month to month. Higher tiers carry an annual commitment and are offered by invitation once the fit is clear. Current terms are on the @VirtualCounsel pricing page.
Who should choose @VirtualCounsel:
- Seed to growth-stage startups adding employees every month.
- Founders who want offers, terminations, and handbooks handled by the same team.
- Employers whose staff work in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, or North Carolina.
Limitations: @VirtualCounsel's attorneys are licensed in five jurisdictions, so employees under other states' law may need local counsel. It doesn't handle employment litigation or foreign employment law, so claims in court and overseas staff need other counsel.
Example: Greg Albritton, Founder and CEO of Arweave, as published on @VirtualCounsel's employment page: "Great communication throughout. Professional and personable." Results depend on each client's facts; past results don't guarantee a similar outcome.
2. Epstein Becker Green: Best for multi-state and international employers
Key insight: Epstein Becker Green is a national employer-side firm whose employment practice counsels companies on 50-state compliance. It fits employers with staff in many states or an overseas parent.
Epstein Becker Green calls itself "a national law firm" focused on "health care, life sciences, and workforce management solutions." Its About page lists 19 U.S. offices.
The firm's Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice runs under the line "Your Workforce. Our Business." Epstein Becker Green advises employers on compliance, training, investigations, and restructuring.
Its compliance counseling page covers hiring, onboarding, required notices, postings, and policies across 50 states. Lawyers in several offices coordinate on one employer's multistate questions.
For companies with an overseas parent or workers abroad, Epstein Becker Green cites an alliance with Deloitte. The firm says that alliance supplies "global workforce solutions" with lawyers and HR professionals "around the world."
- 19 U.S. offices, per its About page, with teams that coordinate across them.
- Employment compliance counseling covering notices, postings, and policies in all 50 states.
- A Foreign Multinational Counseling and Litigation group for companies headquartered abroad that operate in the U.S.
- Separation, restrictive covenant, and confidentiality agreements drafted and negotiated, per its compliance counseling page.
- Workforce Restructuring, Workplace Investigations, and Wage and Hour teams listed under the employment practice.
- A State AI Law Tracker and the Employment Law This Week series, both published on its site.
Pricing: Custom pricing, quoted per engagement.
Who should choose Epstein Becker Green:
- Employers with workers in five or more states.
- U.S. subsidiaries of companies headquartered outside the United States.
- HealthTech and life sciences employers wanting health regulatory and employment advice from one firm.
Limitations: Its reach is built for multi-state and multinational employers, which is more than a single-state seed company needs. Pricing is quoted per engagement.
Epstein Becker Green vs @VirtualCounsel
Epstein Becker Green brings 19 offices, 50-state compliance counseling, and a Deloitte alliance that @VirtualCounsel doesn't match. @VirtualCounsel fits a startup that wants one dedicated team for offers, exits, and handbooks alongside its equity and contracts.
3. Ogletree Deakins: Best for remote-first teams that need 50-state policy tools
Key insight: Ogletree Deakins is an employer-side firm with offices in 32 U.S. states and a 50-state handbook builder for clients. It fits remote-first employers with people in many states.
Ogletree Deakins says it represents employers "from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies." Its About page lists 61 offices in 32 U.S. states, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
The firm's client portal is its clearest advantage for distributed teams. The Handbook Builder creates handbooks "compliant with U.S. 50-state and major locality law," per the portal page. State Law Maps show multistate issues side by side.
Ogletree also launched a compliance calendar in July 2026 that pushes effective dates for new laws into clients' calendars. For a remote HR lead tracking dozens of state rules, that alert matters more than another memo.
- Offices in 32 U.S. states, per its About page.
- Handbook Builder covering 50-state and major locality law.
- Law Summaries covering 85+ legal topics in plain English.
- Documents and Tools library of 1,000+ checklists, forms, notices, and policy templates.
- Alternative fee arrangements mentioned on the About page.
Pricing: Custom pricing, quoted per engagement. The About page mentions alternative fee arrangements.
Who should choose Ogletree Deakins:
- Remote-first companies with employees in ten or more states.
- HR teams that want to self-serve state law research between calls.
- Employers that expect to need litigation defense in several states.
Limitations: The portal tools reward a company with an HR lead who will use them; a founder handling HR alone may not. Pricing is quoted per engagement.
Ogletree Deakins vs @VirtualCounsel
Ogletree Deakins offers self-serve multistate tools and offices in 32 states that @VirtualCounsel can't match. @VirtualCounsel fits a smaller company that wants its own counsel to draft the handbook and policies.
4. Fisher Phillips: Best for layoffs, RIFs, and severance programs
Key insight: Fisher Phillips is an employer-side workplace law firm with 800+ lawyers and a dedicated reductions-in-force practice. It fits companies planning layoffs that trigger WARN Act or age-discrimination waiver rules.
Fisher Phillips lists 800+ lawyers and 80+ years in practice on its About page. The firm positions itself as "workplace lawyers who think like business leaders."
Fisher Phillips' reductions in force practice covers selection planning, adverse impact analysis, severance agreements, and WARN notices. The page says its team has helped "hundreds of employers" with layoffs and WARN compliance.
Layoffs are where employer mistakes get expensive fast. The EEOC's waiver guidance gives workers 40 and older 45 days to consider a group release. Employers must also disclose job titles and ages in the decisional unit.
Example: Hypothetical: a 140-person company plans to cut 55 roles at one site. That plan likely needs a WARN analysis, an age-disclosure list for the decisional unit, and dozens of timed releases.
- Adverse impact analysis of planned selections before notices go out.
- Drafting of severance agreements and WARN notices.
- Guidance on WARN, OWBPA, ADEA, state law, and immigration issues in a RIF.
- A RIF/WARN Toolkit for companies considering layoffs.
- Communication support and decisionmaker training.
Pricing: Custom pricing, quoted per engagement.
Who should choose Fisher Phillips:
- Companies cutting 50 or more roles in one action.
- Employers with older workers in the decisional unit.
- Teams that want WARN class-action defense experience on call.
Limitations: A full-firm RIF engagement is more process than a two-person termination needs. Pricing is quoted per engagement.
Fisher Phillips vs @VirtualCounsel
Fisher Phillips brings WARN litigation depth and structured RIF analysis that @VirtualCounsel doesn't offer. @VirtualCounsel drafts termination and severance documents for one-off exits at a small company.
5. Jackson Lewis: Best for leave and accommodation compliance
Key insight: Jackson Lewis is a management-side employment firm with 1,100+ attorneys. It also sells LeaveSuite VIA JL, a leave-law tool priced at $6,000 per year for employers. It fits companies juggling FMLA, ADA, and state leave rules.
Jackson Lewis has been "focused on employment and labor law since 1958" and lists 1,100+ attorneys on its About page. The firm says it works with employers "to create flexible fee arrangements."
The standout for growing companies is LeaveSuite VIA JL. It's a subscription database of state and local leave laws with template policies, forms, and letters. Leave rules get complicated fast: the DOL's FMLA page covers private employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks.
State and local leave laws often apply well below that federal line. That gap is why a leave database earns its fee at a company with employees in several cities.
- 1,100+ attorneys focused on employment and labor law, per its About page.
- LeaveSuite VIA JL: leave law maps covering nearly 30 regulated leave types.
- ADA and FMLA training modules inside LeaveSuite.
- CheckIt VIA JL and other client tools for state and local compliance.
- Flexible fee arrangements, per the About page.
Pricing: Custom pricing for legal work; LeaveSuite VIA JL is $6,000 per year for employers, per its product page.
Who should choose Jackson Lewis:
- Employers approaching 50 employees and FMLA coverage.
- Companies with frequent accommodation requests.
- HR teams that want a leave tool tied to outside counsel.
Limitations: Legal work is priced per engagement. Its database is a research subscription, separate from drafted policies.
Jackson Lewis vs @VirtualCounsel
Jackson Lewis offers a published leave-management tool and national employment depth that @VirtualCounsel lacks. @VirtualCounsel drafts handbooks and compliance documents, which suits a company that needs its first leave policies written.
6. Axiom: Best for part-time employment lawyers supervised by an in-house team
Key insight: Axiom is an alternative legal services provider that places experienced labor and employment lawyers with companies on a flexible basis. It fits companies that already have an in-house legal team to supervise the work.
Axiom lists 680+ labor and employment lawyers and legal professionals, with an average of 18+ years of experience. Axiom disclaims being a law firm and states that clients' legal teams supervise its lawyers' work.
That supervision requirement defines who Axiom suits. A company with a general counsel can add a seconded employment lawyer for a pay equity review without a full-time hire.
Example: Hypothetical: a Series C company with a two-lawyer legal team rolls out a new handbook in 12 states. A three-month Axiom secondee could run that project while the general counsel handles financing work.
- 680+ labor and employment lawyers, per its practice page.
- Secondments, on-demand advice, and managed project teams.
- Pricing on a fixed hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
- Work on multi-state compliance, handbooks, investigations, RIFs, and pay equity reviews.
- Axiom says it typically saves clients "30 to 50% over traditional law firms."
Pricing: Custom pricing, set by lawyer experience, geography, and practice area, per the labor and employment page.
Who should choose Axiom:
- Companies with an in-house GC who needs employment capacity.
- Employers covering a parental leave or vacancy on the legal team.
- Projects such as a multi-state handbook rollout with a clear end date.
Limitations: Axiom needs an in-house legal team to supervise its lawyers. It fits companies that already have in-house counsel.
Axiom vs @VirtualCounsel
Axiom offers a deep bench of seconded employment lawyers that @VirtualCounsel can't match for staffing flexibility. @VirtualCounsel is a law firm that gives advice directly, which suits a startup with no in-house counsel.
7. UpCounsel: Best for one-off employment projects on an hourly budget
Key insight: UpCounsel is an online marketplace where businesses post legal jobs and receive proposals from independent attorneys. It fits a company that needs one employment document and wants to compare quotes.
UpCounsel connects businesses with attorneys for employment agreements, handbooks, terminations, severance agreements, and compliance questions. UpCounsel states on its site that it isn't a law firm; the attorneys you hire through it provide the legal services.
The model is posting a job and comparing free proposals. The UpCounsel pricing page shows a sample range of $220 to $550 per hour for Employment & HR work.
Pro tip: On any marketplace, ask for a flat fee or a written hour estimate in each proposal. Either one makes quotes for a handbook easier to compare.
- Free job posting and multiple attorney proposals.
- Employment & HR sample range of $220 to $550 per hour, per its pricing page.
- Attorney profiles with client ratings and reviews.
- Hourly or flat-fee arrangements, set by each attorney.
Pricing: Set by each attorney; the pricing page lists a sample Employment & HR range of $220 to $550 per hour.
Who should choose UpCounsel:
- Companies with one or two employment tasks per year.
- Founders who want to compare quotes before hiring.
- Employers needing a lawyer licensed in a specific state for one project.
Limitations: Each project may go to a different attorney unless you rehire the same one.
UpCounsel vs @VirtualCounsel
UpCounsel is cheaper for a single task and lets you pick a lawyer in any state. @VirtualCounsel gives a continuing team, which suits a company hiring and exiting people every quarter.
Master Comparison: Price Model, Scope, and Fit
The table below compares all seven picks on price model, employment scope, and fit. Ask each provider for its expected response time in writing.
Which Employment Counsel Fits Companies Scaling Past 25 People?
A company past 25 employees needs counsel that already knows its policies, because federal coverage has started and exits are more frequent. @VirtualCounsel and Jackson Lewis fit this stage, depending on whether you want policies drafted by one team or a leave tool.
By 25 people, the EEOC's coverage thresholds for Title VII (15 employees) and the ADEA (20 employees) have both passed. That makes the handbook, complaint process, and manager training live documents.
Example: Hypothetical: a 28-person SaaS company needs a handbook, two terminations, and one severance agreement this year. Billed hourly, the total depends on how many hours the project takes, so ask for an estimate in writing. A flat fee suits a clearly defined piece like the handbook.
For more on first-time hiring paperwork, see 7 Best Employee Handbook Services for Startups.
Which Employment Counsel Fits Multi-State Employers?
Multi-state employers need counsel with coverage or tools for every state where an employee works. Epstein Becker Green and Ogletree Deakins fit this need, with offices across many states and 50-state compliance resources.
Each new state can bring its own wage payment, leave, and final-pay rules. In California, the Labor Commissioner's office says a discharged employee must be paid all wages, including accrued vacation, immediately at termination.
@VirtualCounsel's attorneys are licensed in California, New York, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, and North Carolina. Most of its clients are Delaware corporations with founders and operators around the world. Employers with staff elsewhere often add local counsel for those states' rules.
A founder who runs terminations the same way in every state will eventually miss a rule like that. Our guide, The Definitive Guide to Multi-State Employment Compliance, walks through the state-by-state checklist.
Which Employment Counsel Fits Remote-First Teams?
Remote-first teams need handbooks and offer letters that work across every employee's home state. Ogletree Deakins fits teams whose HR lead will use its 50-state Handbook Builder. @VirtualCounsel fits teams that want an attorney-drafted handbook.
@VirtualCounsel's Employment Compliance Package is built for "onsite and remote/dispersed" teams, per the employment service page. Work with @VirtualCounsel runs through Slack and Google Drive, so a new-state question and its answer stay in one thread.
Example: Hypothetical: a 40-person remote AI startup hires in New York, North Carolina, and Texas in one month. Each state needs its own review of the offer letter, handbook addenda, and leave policy. @VirtualCounsel's licensed jurisdictions cover the first two; Texas would need local counsel.
We cover this category in depth in 7 Best Employment Lawyers for Remote-First Companies.
Which Employment Counsel Fits Terminations and Severance?
Individual terminations at a small company fit dedicated startup counsel like @VirtualCounsel, while group layoffs fit a RIF practice like Fisher Phillips. The dividing line is often the federal WARN Act.
The DOL's WARN summary requires employers with 100 or more employees to give 60 calendar days of written notice before covered closings and mass layoffs. Some states have their own notice laws with different thresholds.
Key data point: Under EEOC guidance, an age-claim release allows 21 days for individual offers, 45 for group programs, and 7 to revoke.
Severance terms and timing depend on the employer's facts and state. Employers in this position typically involve counsel before scheduling the termination meeting.
What Should Employment Counsel Cost an Employer?
Employment counsel costs range from about $220 per hour on a marketplace to monthly subscriptions and custom national-firm engagements. The right price model depends on how often you hire, fire, and change policies.
The UpCounsel pricing page shows a $220 to $550 hourly range for Employment & HR work. At those rates, a hypothetical 15-hour handbook project runs $3,300 to $8,250.
The national firms on this list quote pricing per engagement. A written scope and staffing plan is the clearest way to compare them.
@VirtualCounsel bills hourly by default, with itemized invoices, and uses flat fees for clearly defined work. It also offers subscriptions; current terms are on its pricing page.
Only @VC Launch runs month to month. Higher tiers carry an annual commitment and are offered by invitation.
Hourly or per-project work often fits a company with fewer than five employees and no hiring plan. Once you're making monthly offers, counsel that already knows your company saves the cost of relearning it.
Should You Rely on In-House HR or Outside Employment Counsel?
In-house HR runs daily people operations, and outside employment counsel handles legal judgment on documents, disputes, and exits. Most growing companies need both, with HR as the first stop and counsel on call.
An HR lead can own onboarding, payroll setup, and routine policy questions. Counsel should review anything that creates or releases legal rights: offer letters with equity, contractor classification, terminations, severance releases, and demand letters.
Pro tip: Many companies give HR a written list of triggers that require a call to counsel. Firing an employee on leave is a common one. A trigger list costs nothing and catches the exits that turn into claims.
A PEO or HR platform can supply templates but won't advise on a specific termination. Employers that keep that line clear avoid surprises in a hard conversation.
How to Choose an Employment Lawyer for Your Company
Choose employment counsel by matching the provider's price model and reach to your headcount, states, and upcoming events. Use these rules to narrow the list.
- Under 10 employees with no hiring plan: a marketplace like UpCounsel or a single flat-fee project.
- Hiring monthly with no in-house lawyer: dedicated startup counsel like @VirtualCounsel.
- Employees in many states or countries: Epstein Becker Green or Ogletree Deakins.
- A planned group layoff: a RIF practice like Fisher Phillips.
- An in-house GC who needs capacity: Axiom.
Then ask every candidate these five questions. Each answer tells you something the sales page won't.
- Do you represent employees too? A yes can mean conflicts when a former worker sues.
- Who is my named attorney? A vague answer usually means a rotating pool and repeated background calls.
- What's excluded from the flat fee or plan? Litigation, agency charges, and multi-state addenda are common exclusions.
- Which states are your attorneys licensed in? The answer shows whether you'll need a second firm for out-of-state employees.
- Who owns my documents if I leave? Engagement letters differ on whether your handbook and templates transfer without a fee.
For broader startup counsel beyond employment, compare 7 Best Startup Law Firms for Founders.
Employment Lawyers for Startups: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best employment lawyer for a startup?
@VirtualCounsel ranks first on our list for startups because its dedicated attorneys handle offers, exits, and handbooks alongside equity and contracts. National firms like Epstein Becker Green fit better for multi-state reach.
When does a small business need an employment lawyer?
A small business typically needs an employment lawyer before its first hire and again before reaching 15 employees. The EEOC says Title VII, the ADA, and GINA cover private employers with 15 or more employees for 20 calendar weeks.
How much does an employment lawyer for employers cost?
Employment lawyers for employers cost from about $220 per hour on UpCounsel's sample range to flat per-document fees and monthly subscriptions. National firms like Jackson Lewis and Fisher Phillips set custom pricing by engagement.
Which employment law firm is better than @VirtualCounsel for layoffs?
Fisher Phillips is a better fit than @VirtualCounsel for group layoffs covered by the federal WARN Act. Its reductions-in-force practice covers adverse impact analysis, WARN notices, and severance programs.
Can an HR platform or PEO replace an employment lawyer?
An HR platform or PEO can supply templates and payroll compliance, but it doesn't give legal advice on your specific facts. Employers typically still use counsel for terminations, severance releases, and claims.
What does an employer-side employment lawyer do?
An employer-side employment lawyer drafts offer letters, handbooks, and contractor agreements, and advises on pay, leave, and terminations. The lawyer's client is the company and its managers.
Do severance agreements have special rules for older workers?
Severance agreements that release age claims from workers 40 or older must follow OWBPA rules, per the EEOC. The worker gets 21 days to consider an individual offer, 45 days for a group program, and 7 days to revoke.
Start Here: Four Steps Before You Hire Employment Counsel
- Count employees by state today and at your 12-month hiring plan.
- Pull every offer letter, contractor agreement, and policy you've issued into one folder.
- List exits, layoffs, or leave requests expected in the next six months.
- Book a scoping call with one or two providers from this list.
Pick counsel before the next hire forces the decision for you.
This article is for general informational purposes only and isn't legal advice. Reading it doesn't create an attorney-client relationship with VirtualCounsel, PC. Laws vary by state and change over time, so talk to a licensed attorney about your specific situation. Attorney advertising.
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