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Jessica Hubley knew she had a massive problem to solve when startup founders from all different backgrounds were coming to her with the same set of questions.
Whether she was talking to a founder with all the academic chops or one who was just entering the tech world, everyone had questions about what type of lawyer they needed and what exactly that lawyer needed to do. So after working as an associate at a big law firm and as general counsel and legal strategy consultant for growing startups, Hubley founded Story LLP to help answer those questions from one streamlined platform.
As the name suggests, the Atlanta-based startup is designed to help founders chronicle the story of their business and figure out exactly what type of legal advice they need at any point of growth. Story LLP does this with its own AI-powered model, including customized on-premise language models, that “protects privilege and prevents conflicts of interest.”
Story LLP takes a startup’s information and figures out what legal services they need in a cost efficient way. That might mean helping early-stage founders on negotiating B2B agreements, drafting web contracts for B2C, privacy issues, early-stage investments, stock options, hiring, firing, trademarks, and patents.
This is a different model than most of the other LegalTech startups out there, which Hubley explained typically help either the lawyer or the client without protecting attorney-client privilege.
Story LLP is what happens when a software company joins forces with a law firm, explained Hubley. The platform gives clients the legal answers they need with “more detail and more accuracy than a human lawyer could.”
Story LLP has also built out a strong Attorney Alliance with hundreds of lawyers that represent 40 law firms in all 50 states to help with different legal needs that might come up as a business grows.
The platform has worked with 300 clients previously and currently has a strong group of clients going through a pilot of its new subscription program. Hubley said the subscription service will launch at the end of the year.
In a sign of Story LLP’s strong customer base, Hubley said Story LLP has not had to do any real marketing to date, since current clients are the main referral source for the early-stage startup.
New Opportunities For Lawyers And Founders
Helping founders get the “hyper affordable” legal help they need is just one of the reasons why Hubley founded Story LLP. She also sees the platform as a way to help women and underrepresented lawyers build up their careers.
“We provide an exit ramp for great women lawyers to be able to have successful practices and also have more work-life balance,” she added.
Hubley’s passion for creating equitable spaces within the business world expands beyond the launch of Story. She also started the Women Founders + Investors of ATL LinkedIn Group to help the local tech community better share important resources.
Hubley, a graduate of Stanford Law School, is no stranger to the startup world. She previously served as co-founder and CEO of AnnieCannons, a Y Combinator-backed platform helping survivors of abuse and human trafficking start tech careers. It was her time at AnnieCannons that got her thinking about how underrepresented founders can best get access to the key resources they need to build a business, something that is at the heart of Story LLP’s mission.
“If I can help people who come from less get on equal footing as their more privileged counterparts, I think their companies are set up for greater success. I think that their hard work, their ability to do more with less, will mean ultimately they can produce bigger, more valuable companies that do more good in the world,” she added.