Ryan Juliano

Subscription-based Fractional GC for Early-Stage Tech Startups

About

Ryan Juliano is the founder of Darwin Legal, a subscription-based legal practice serving early-stage technology startups. He works with founders from company formation through Series A and beyond on fundraising, commercial contracts, corporate governance, team building, and strategic transactions.

After starting his career at Kirkland & Ellis advising public companies and private equity funds, Ryan spent a decade at Howell Legal developing innovative service models for early-stage technology companies. He launched Darwin Legal in 2025 to build a firm fully committed to the subscription model that makes proactive legal counsel accessible for growing startups.

Practice areas

General Corporate > Venture Capital (EC/VC)
General Corporate
Commercial Contracts
M&A Law
Technology Law

Featured clients

Services

Origins Package
Company formation, structure review, or equity cleanup • Essential templates (NDAs, employment docs, governance) • IP & equity foundation • 2hrs collaborative legal roadmapping • 90-day quick question support
$4,500
fixed price
Fractional GC - Select Tier
10% fractional general counsel for funded startups. Unlimited quick consultations • 18 standard tasks per quarter (contracts, board consents, employment docs) • 1 complex project per quarter (major agreements, handbooks, equity plans) • Monthly strategy session • Weekly work-in-progress reports • Fundraising term sheet support • Annual compliance & governance Legal partnership that scales with your growth.
$2,500
per month
Fractional GC - Evolved Tier
20% fractional general counsel for scaling companies. Unlimited quick consultations • 36 standard tasks per quarter • 2 complex projects per quarter • Weekly check-in calls • Monthly strategy sessions • Weekly work-in-progress reports • Board meeting attendance & minutes • Priority response time • Fundraising support Full legal department capacity for Series A+ companies managing boards, rapid hiring, complex partnerships, and investor relations.
$5,000
per month

What clients say

“"It's pretty nice to have peace of mind that we've got a daily spot to chat if we ever have an urgent matter. For me, that's the most valuable thing: Being able to know we're on solid ground when it comes to contract and legal matters and not worrying for too long!"”
Matt McInerny
Partner, Township
“"I'm absolutely loving the subscription model. I didn't realize how much I was holding back on little questions here and there. It's unlocked the ability to use our legal counsel as a strategic partner and be more proactive together, as opposed to reactive. Not only is the new model working, but Ryan is the best legal counsel I've worked with in my startup career. He's responsive, thoughtful, and provides legal counsel couched in good business sense!"”
Lindsey Hulet
VP, People and Operations, Builder Prime

Experience

Shareholder, Senior Attorney and VP of Platform
Howell Legal
Aug 2015 – Jun 2025
Associate
Partridge Snow & Hahn
Nov 2014 – Nov 2015
Associate
Kirkland & Ellis
Sep 2011 – Oct 2014
B.S.
Cornell University
2006
J.D.
Cornell Law School
2009
LL.M, Legal Theory
New York University School of Law
2010