About John Wires
Startup and Tech LawyerJohn Wires
Founder
John Wires, B.A., J.D.
Technology Lawyer
The firm was founded by startup, e-commerce and business lawyer John Wires, who comes from a background of corporate commercial litigation. Having litigated shareholder and employee disputes he understands the value of companies protecting their businesses with upfront legal work.
John was called to the Bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2011. He practices business law with a focus on internet and technology start-ups. He has appeared in the Ontario Superior Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal and private arbitrations. John graduated from law school with first class honours specializing in both international trade and corporate Law.
He is the author of The Law for Founders and has been covered in the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CBC News, TechVibes and the Canadian Bar Association’s National Magazine on Crowdfunding in Canada. He has also been a guest lecturer at Ryerson University, Communitech in Waterloo, the Canadian Bar Association’s national conference and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development.
John is a former NCAA D1 and Ontario Hockey League player who enjoys sports, running and the outdoors.
John works with clients primarily virtually, spending time in both Ontairo and B.C.
Part of the lawyer’s role becomes not just giving advice and drafting contracts, but educating clients on the legal issues and legal framework around the decisions they make. As I found myself educating clients on common topics, I decided to sit one night and map out a table of contents with all the things a founder will wish they knew about the law when they started. Covid hit, I blinked and the table of contents is now a book.
If you are a founder, or an aspiring founder, the book is to help you wade through the trenches with practical legal tips and information for building and protecting your business.
Consider the book as a legal guide to implementing your business idea and understanding the legal framework around your business. Using case examples and examples from my own practice the book covers core legal issues every start-up should consider.
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More and more Canadians are capitalizing on their dreams of operating their own businesses. Somewhere along the line, entrepreneurship not only became an option in university programs, but it actually became “cool”. As college students started making money online and building business empires like Facebook and Google, fewer hockey players were born in Canada. Now more than ever young adults are aspiring to become founders.
In the early 2000’s, as tech entrepreneurship grew, so did the support systems for founders. From educational institutions building a host of incubator and accelerator programs to crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter giving a funding boost to new ventures and products.
However, one support network that lags is the legal services industry. Start-ups are lean and lawyers are expensive. This leads to a legal knowledge gap for founders and often a failure to fully consider how the law impacts a founder’s business.
Many founders fray from meeting with a lawyer until they view it as absolutely necessary or there is some existential crisis. I see it frequently, where founders wish they met with a lawyer sooner to understand the implications of decisions they made, agreements they signed or risks they took. Decisions which, unwittingly, can materially impact the success of a business.
Starting in 2011, I practiced corporate litigation. I came to realize that many businesses fail or face setbacks as a result of not having completed important legal processes early on. From not entering contracts with third parties and founder disputes tearing a business apart, to government regulators seizing assets and shutting businesses down. In some cases, it was hard to watch.
With an interest in tech, I decided I would pursue a career helping founders build businesses, rather than tear them down. So, in 2013 I started my own corporate law firm and for the last 11 years I’ve enjoyed working with founders. Their personalities are positive and optimistic, unlike many lawyers (especially litigation lawyers).
Yet, founders often face a blind spot for the law. I realized that part of the lawyer’s role becomes not just giving advice and drafting contracts, but educating clients on the legal issues and legal framework around the decisions they make. As I found myself educating clients on common topics, I decided to sit one night and map out a table of contents with all the things a founder will wish they knew about the law when they started.
And so, my motivation in writing this book became filling the legal knowledge gap for Canadian founders. To enable founders to make more calculated decisions about their business and operate from a position of confidence and strength. With the knowledgebase from this book, you will make more informed decisions about protecting your business and stick-handling legal challenges you will undoubtably face.
There are known risks and unknown risks that lurk in the future for every founder. This book intends to shift some of the unknown risks, the ones you might not have even contemplated, and make them known risks for you to navigate on the way to success.
Files I’ve Been Working On
A Convertible Debenture
Assisting a sports technology startup with a convertible loan.
Website Terms for a SAAS Startup
Preparing advice, website terms and privacy policy for a SAAS startup.
Distribution Agreement for E-commerce
Drafting a distribution agreement for an e-commerce business expanding to the United States.
iOS Video Game Contracts
Drafting contracts for an iOS app store video game company.
Domain Name Licensing Agreement
Preparing a domain name licensing agreement for a web hosting provider.
Website Purchase Agreement
Assisting a client in purchasing a woman’s fashion website.
Crowdfunding Startup
General counsel for a successful rewards crowdfunding company, having raised over $2.0 million dollars.
Non-Disclosure Agreement
Drafting a non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement for a web application company.
Licensing Agreement
Licensing agreement for an internet of things hardware manufacturer and software development firm.
Incorporating a Web Startup
Incorporating a SAAS startup.
Incorporating a Drone Business
Incorporating a drone photography and mapping business.
Asset Tracking Software
Assisting client with a asset tracking software company.
Corporate Organization
Corporate organization for a web security and consulting company.
Equity Financing
Corporate counsel to a sharing economy app company having raised over $1.0 million in an equity financing.
Share Purchase Agreement
Drafting a share purchase agreement for a web marketing company.
Friends and Family Investment
Friends and family financing for a 3D printing manufacturer.
Mobile Fitness Studio
Corporate organization and general advice for a mobile fitness training company in Toronto.
Stock Option Agreement
Advising a client on a stock option agreement.