Building a business is like building a house. If the foundation is weak, everything eventually crumbles. That's how Steven Weigler, founder and managing attorney of EmergeCounsel, and a 5-year trademark Super Lawyer, describes the stakes facing today's entrepreneurs. And he's not just speaking as a lawyer. Before starting his legal firm, Weigler spent more than a decade building his own predictive analytics startup from scratch and navigating it through the ups and downs of growth and eventual sale.
"That journey changed how I think about legal counsel," Weigler says. "Most law firms are transactional. We're strategic. We're here to help our clients build something that's sellable from day one, even if they never want to sell it."
It's that word, sellable, that defines EmergeCounsel's philosophy. More than just offering legal protection, the firm positions itself as a business's strategic partner. The goal: maximize long-term value, minimize risk, and give entrepreneurs the legal foundation needed to grow with confidence.
Based in Denver but operating internationally, EmergeCounsel focuses on early- to mid-stage businesses, particularly in the e-commerce and technology sectors. Many of Weigler's clients source materials globally and sell across borders.
"They might be getting products from Vietnam or China and shipping across the U.S., Canada, and Europe," Weigler explains. "If you don't address IP and business legalities, like obtaining trademark protections or negotiating supply chain contracts, your IP and brand can be at serious risk the moment your company starts prospering."
What makes Weigler stand out in a sea of attorneys is that he's walked the entrepreneurial path himself.
"I've been in that founder seat, raising capital, managing people, negotiating exits," he says. "There were a lot of ups and downs, and that experience gave me the empathy and insight most lawyers just don't have."
Weigler's experience framed EmergeCounsel's unique model: strategic counsel that scales with the business. For entrepreneurs just starting out, the firm offers TotalTM®, a flat-fee trademark protection service that includes the same strategic guidance a large firm would provide at a fraction of the cost. Weigler says, "It's our entry point for a lot of clients. Many are solopreneurs who just need that first step of brand protection. But as they grow, so do their business legal needs."
Unlike many firms that charge by the hour or push flat-fee packages for everything, EmergeCounsel tailors its billing and services to each client's unique needs. The firm regularly sits in on board meetings, helps vet partnerships, and proactively looks for legal landmines that could derail growth later.
"We don't charge for exploratory calls or checking in," Weigler says. "It's about building a relationship. We always want to know the business, the entrepreneur, and their goals."
This relationship-based model is particularly critical for partnerships, which Weigler says are "often great until the business becomes profitable." Without early legal agreements in place, even promising ventures can implode when financial disagreements arise. "Our job is to make sure that never happens," he says. "That's part of making a business sellable, not just legally sound, but attractive to investors and acquirers."
The name of Weigler's forthcoming book, Sellable, is also a guiding principle for his firm. He highlights that every decision, from trademarking a name to negotiating a supplier agreement, should be made with an eye toward future valuation.
"You don't have to want to sell your business. But you should always be building something that someone could buy. That's how you maximize value," he says.
That includes creating airtight contracts, protecting intellectual property, managing risk, and tailoring legal advice to each founder's leadership style and business model. "A new, first-time entrepreneur needs a different kind of legal communication than a serial founder on their sixth company," he explains. "Part of our job is understanding who they are so we can guide them effectively."
While EmergeCounsel is lean by design, it leverages a network of vetted co-counsel, CPAs, evaluators, and branding experts to support clients beyond the firm's core legal capabilities.
"We've spent years building a trusted network," says Weigler. "When our clients need something outside our direct scope, we don't send them blindly into the market—we connect them with professionals we trust."
And as a proud member of IR Global, an international network of legal, financial, and advisory professionals, EmergeCounsel regularly supports clients with global interests.
Ultimately, Weigler believes strategic counsel should be as fundamental to a business as its product or marketing plan. "Big businesses have teams of lawyers building strategy into everything," he says. "Small and mid-sized businesses should have that too, but at a price point they can afford. That's what we do."
With EmergeCounsel, the legal strategy isn't an afterthought. It's a cornerstone. "You can't win without legal strategy," he says. "That's why we're here, to give our clients the legal advantage they need to build something real, lasting, and yes, sellable."
