Get the legal foundations right before your startup's first hire starts

The main risk is usually not just missing a contract. It is using documents or assumptions that do not match the real working arrangement. Founders often move quickly, combine multiple responsibilities into one role, or blur the line between employee and contractor arrangements. The factual context can matter as much as the wording in the agreement. If the day-to-day setup, pay structure, IP ownership or onboarding process is unclear, problems can surface later when expectations change, investors review your records, or the relationship ends badly.

It is usually a good fit for founders hiring their first employee, moving from informal help to a proper employment relationship, or deciding whether a role should be structured as employment or contracting. It is especially useful where the person will have access to code, customer relationships, confidential information or core operational knowledge. Early-stage businesses often need more than a template because the first hire can shape how future roles are documented, how IP is captured and how employment practices develop across the team.

Yes. That is one of the most common first-hire questions for startups. Drafting decisions should be based on the arrangement itself, including the documents, responsibilities and factual context, including how much control you will have, how integrated the person will be in the business, and how the work will actually be performed. We can talk through those factors and help you choose the more suitable structure for the role you are creating. This service Your lawyer will explain the practical position and your options in plain English.

Once engaged, we collect the details of the role, the proposed working arrangement and any existing documents or offer terms you have already discussed. A lawyer then prepares the relevant documents and works through the key legal points with you, including entitlements, IP and classification issues. If the role raises extra issues outside the included scope, such as an incentive plan or a dispute with the hire, we can outline separate next steps. The process is intended to give founders a clearer and more usable starting point for hiring.

The service includes a custom employment agreement for the role, an onboarding letter and checklist, advice on KiwiSaver, leave and minimum entitlements, confidentiality and intellectual property provisions, and guidance on whether the proposed arrangement looks more like employment or contracting. You also receive a 30-minute consultation to work through key questions. It is broader than buying a single contract template, but it does not include ongoing HR management, representation in disputes or open-ended support after completion unless separately arranged.

Submit an enquiry on this page or click 'Get started'. One of our legal consultants will review it within 1 business day and get in touch to understand what you need.

Your consultant will then email you a fixed-fee quote setting out the cost, scope and timing. If you're happy with it, you can accept the quote and sign our engagement letter online.

Once you've accepted, one of our Australian-qualified lawyers will work with you to complete your project. They'll contact you by email or phone if they need anything.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Startup First Hire Legal Service service, pricing starts from $1,200.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We work online, so we can help wherever you are in New Zealand. Our team works remotely, mainly from Australia.

Your work is done by our Australian-qualified lawyers, who hold Australian practising certificates and specialise in business law. None of them are New Zealand lawyers or hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

Sprintlaw NZ Limited is a legal consultancy, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the New Zealand Law Society. We don't act in court or tribunal matters, conveyancing (including leases and business sales) or other reserved areas of work. Communications with Sprintlaw are unlikely to be protected by legal professional privilege. We still keep everything confidential under our engagement letter.