Raising Your First Funds: Friends & Family

As a first-time founder, you’ll likely tap into your closest connections before any professional investors. Raising a friends and family round is often the first outside capital that allows new startups to take those crucial first steps. What is a Friends and Family Round? This involves raising relatively small amounts of capital from your personal … Read more

AI and the IRS

The IRS has a massive volume of tax returns and financial data to analyze each year, making it impractical to manually review every single return for potential issues or discrepancies. AI and machine learning techniques allow the IRS to efficiently sift through this vast amount of data and identify high-risk returns or areas that warrant … Read more

The AI and the Poet

The concept of leveraging artificial intelligence for artistic pursuits like poetry may seem paradoxical at first glance. How could cold, dispassionate algorithms possibly augment one of the most deeply human forms of emotional and creative expression? However, modern AI language models present opportunities for poets to expand their creative horizons in novel ways. Rather than … Read more

US Department of Labor AI Guidelines

The US Department of Labor has issued a Field Assistance Bulletin on Artificial Intelligence and Automated Systems in the Workplace under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Other Federal Labor Standards. The key points in the Bulletin are as follows: In summary, the Field Assistance Bulletin emphasizes that employers cannot abdicate their responsibilities under federal … Read more

AI: Building the Better Mousetrap

Artificial intelligence may seem like an overly complex tool to bring to bear on something like redesigning a paper clip or mousetrap. However, the capabilities of modern AI make it well-suited for this type of product optimization challenge. At its core, AI excels at identifying patterns in data, generating novel ideas based on those patterns … Read more

Startup Funding from Pre-seed to IPO

Startups embark on a unique journey as they grow and develop, often requiring various types of funding along the way. Each stage of funding is designed to support the company’s specific needs and goals at different points in its lifecycle. Understanding these stages can help entrepreneurs navigate the complex world of startup financing. Pre-Seed Funding: … Read more

AI: Large Language Models

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, a new breed of language technology is creating massive waves – large language models or LLMs. These cutting-edge AI systems are redefining the boundaries of what’s possible with machine-generated text. At their core, LLMs utilize machine learning techniques like transformers and self-attention mechanisms to analyze astronomical amounts … Read more

Disparagement? Fuhgeddaboudit!

On May 7, 2024, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that non-disparagement provisions preventing the discussion of discrimination, retaliation or harassment claims are unenforceable. This decision emerged from Christine Savage’s case against the Township of Neptune Police Department. Savage, who had previously settled a lawsuit under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD), later made … Read more

Vesting Equity in Startups

For many, the allure of joining a startup lies in the potential for equity ownership and the opportunity to shape a company from the ground up. However, equity compensation in startups is typically governed by a critical mechanism known as vesting, which determines how and when employees and founders earn their stakes over time. Let’s … Read more

AI and Energy Consumption

While AI offers promising opportunities for energy optimization and environmental benefits, its energy requirements and potential for contributing to greenhouse gas emissions must be carefully considered and addressed through responsible development and policy making. AI energy issues are a major consideration that deserve particular study. The training and operation of AI systems can be extremely … Read more

White House: Fight AI-Enabled Sexual Abuse

In a new call to action, the Biden administration is urging technology companies and other stakeholders to take voluntary measures to curb the rapidly growing issue of image-based sexual abuse, including abusive content generated using artificial intelligence. Recognizing that this form of gender-based violence disproportionately harms women, girls and LGBTQI+ people, the White House is … Read more

Legal Engagement Letters

An engagement letter is the contract that comprehensively defines and governs the attorney-client relationship. The letter serves the critical function of allowing the lawyer and client to formally memorialize the scope, terms, and mutual understandings regarding all aspects of the legal engagement from the outset. A key component is precisely identifying who the client is … Read more