
Fractional CLO & Startups.com Community Leader (Legal). I make early tea
Startup Lawyer + Fractional CLO (AI/SaaS/Fintech) · Startups.com Legal Community Leader · Founder, LawvocateAI · Managing Partner, The Underwood Group · Grand Haven, Michigan, US
Open to advisory
Funding · Product · Engineering & Tech
Select advisory on RaaS, product, intelligence and execution layer governance and signalling.
Makes warm intros to
I help founders ship and raise without tripping legal landmines. As a Startup.com Community Leader (Legal) and Fractional CLO, I build the legal architecture investors expect: clean formation and cap table, SAFEs/notes that close, defensible IP/licensing, and privacy/AI compliance your customers will sign off on.
I help founders ship and raise without tripping legal landmines. As a Startups.com Community Leader (Legal) and Fractional CLO, I build the legal architecture investors expect: clean formation and cap table, SAFEs/notes that close, defensible IP/licensing, and privacy/AI compliance (GDPR/CCPA) that enterprise buyers accept. I co-architected LawvocateAI, a consumer-centric legal GPT that guides IP and startup workflows, and I’ve spent 37 years at the law/tech edge supporting teams from Microsoft, General Motors, and NASA to early e-commerce pioneers (Spartan Stores; advisor to Louis Borders on what became WebVan). My approach is product-minded: crisp docs, decisive recommendations, and reusable playbooks that help your team move faster. Engagements include ongoing Fractional CLO, a fixed-fee 2-week Investor-Ready Sprint (data room + financing docs + policies), or scoped office hours for first-time founders. Remote-first; collaborative with your existing counsel and investors.
My 37 years at the law/tech edge span F100 to pre-seed and include co-architecting LawvocateAI and advising on data-heavy, regulated products. I favor crisp docs, decisive recommendations, and reusable playbooks so your team moves faster. Engagements: ongoing fractional CLO, fixed-fee 2-week “Investor-Ready” sprint (data room + financing docs + policies), or scoped office hours for first-time founders.
“How I Help”
Investor-ready in days: formation, cap table, board consents, data room
Rounds that close: SAFEs/convertible notes, disclosure, side letters
IP & licensing: protect core tech; structure creator/AI & data rights
Data/AI posture: privacy (GDPR/CCPA), DPAs, AI policy, security playbooks
Contract velocity: MSA/SOW, vendor templates, redline standards
Governance that scales: board hygiene, conflicts, auditability
Ideal Matches
Startup lawyer + Fractional CLO for AI/SaaS/fintech. I paper rounds (SAFE/convertible), clean cap tables, protect IP, and de-risk GTM with privacy/AI policies, DPAs, and MSAs buyers accept. 37 years at the law/tech edge; co-architect of LawvocateAI and past work with Microsoft, GM, NASA, and WebVan—modes: fractional CLO, 2-week sprint, or office hours.
Technical founders (AI/ML, SaaS, fintech, health/data)
Pre-seed → Seed raising $250k–$3M needing tidy diligence
Post-MVP teams selling into enterprise or regulated buyers.
Ways to Engage (short)
Fractional CLO • 2-Week Legal Sprint • Office Hours (Q&A) • Policy/Data Sprint
Skills / Keywords (paste into tags)
Fractional CLO, Startup Lawyer, SAFE, Convertible Note, Cap Table, Delaware C-Corp, Governance, Board, IP, Licensing, Trade Secrets, Privacy, GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, AI Policy, Data Protection, DPA, MSA/SOW, Healthtech, Fintech, SaaS, Blockchain/DLT, Fundraising, Diligence, Playbooks, Templates
lawvocate.ai and ugroupsite.com
The Underwood Group (Managing Partner Mark Underwood, Michigan-licensed; WD-Michigan) powers an advanced Access-to-Justice and attorney enablement stack featuring Lawvocate™, CounselGate™, and our Human-Guided Control Engine (HGCE™).
Lawvocate™ is an interactive AI legal agent that provides plain-language guidance, first-pass document drafting, and automated intake designed to hand off seamlessly to a lawyer for unbundled review or full representation.
CounselGate™ operates as our sovereign intelligence-and-governance layer, insulating client data, enforcing strict privilege locks, managing conflicts, and mitigating AI hallucination risks. HGCE™ underpins the entire platform, ensuring deterministic safety rails, real-time auditability, and expert human-in-the-loop oversight across every automated workflow.
Our Michigan proof of concept (state + WD-MI) is engineered as a white-label program for law firms across Michigan and compliant jurisdictions worldwide. Affiliate and partner structures adhere strictly to professional conduct rules (e.g., lawyer-to-lawyer fee arrangements; no fee-sharing with non-lawyers). Outside Michigan, Mark provides Fractional CLO and legal-ops advisory services to enterprise and growth-stage ventures globally.
Company Stage
Development
Funding Stage
Seed
Funding Raised
None/Bootstrapped
Team Size
5-10 employees
Annual Revenue
5-10 employees
Founded
2022
Industry
Technology
milestone
Founder/Architect
LawvocateAI
Built a consumer-centric legal agent and intake→document workflows for IP & startup milestones.
Deployed site-embedded chat + templates; accelerated client triage and clean, signing-ready docs.
job
Managing Partner/Fractional CLO
The Underwood Group
Product-minded legal ops for AI/SaaS: fundraising, commercial contracts, privacy, and governance.
Papered SAFEs/convertibles, cleaned cap tables, and standardized MSAs/DPAs to speed close cycles.
milestone
Founder
CreatiShield
Designed a DLT licensing platform to protect creator IP and unlock compliant, trackable rights.
Tokenized license models and rights-tracking framework with clear creator protections.
volunteer
Member
American Bar Association
Active in AI/emerging-tech, ethics, and privacy discussions.
Contributed practitioner feedback on responsible AI and data governance.
milestone
Innovator
Spartan Stores
Pioneered modern online shopping with a grocery delivery system, after architecting Webvan for the Louis Borders Family of Companies.
Transformed the grocery shopping experience through innovative technology solutions.
milestone
Leader
GETMAR Corporation
Carrier partnerships + launch for DOTGO (text-based web/apps).
Brought mobile web access and interactive services to broad consumer bases via SMS.
milestone
Advisor/Counsel
Various F100 Initiatives
Strategic tech + legal guidance for enterprise pilots and commercial rollouts.
Aligned procurement, privacy, and IP to enable launches without delaying GTM.
Advisor Team adds direct messages with Ed, Ryan, Steve, and Wil, team office hours, and 15 investor messages a day.
Included with Advisor Team
Everything in Startups Pro, plus
Direct access to Ed Kang, Ryan Rutan, Steve Gacka and Wil Schroter
1:1 Office Hours with Experts
Advisor-Led Sprints
Advisor Team
Due today
$399
Renews at $399/mo
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