Last updated: June 11, 2026
1. Agreement to These Terms
These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your access to and use of thestartuplawblog.com, including all posts, pages, downloadable materials, and newsletter content (collectively, the "Site"). The Site is operated by Joe Wallin, an attorney based in Seattle, Washington ("we," "us," or "our"). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Disclaimer, each of which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.
2. Attorney Advertising; No Legal Advice; No Attorney–Client Relationship
The Site may constitute attorney advertising in some jurisdictions. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
All content on the Site is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional who has reviewed your specific facts. Laws change frequently, and content may not reflect current law as of the date you read it.
Reading the Site, subscribing to the newsletter, downloading materials, commenting, submitting a contact form, or booking an introductory call does not create an attorney–client relationship. An attorney–client relationship is formed only by a written engagement agreement signed after a conflicts check. Until then, please do not send confidential or sensitive information through the Site, by email, or through any scheduling or contact tool.
Legal services, if any, are provided only through Carney Badley Spellman, P.S., pursuant to a written engagement agreement with the firm. This website is a personal publication of Joe Wallin and is not a service of the firm.
3. No Reliance
You agree that you will not act, or refrain from acting, based on Site content without obtaining advice from a qualified professional based on your specific circumstances. Any tax savings, exclusion amounts, qualification outcomes, or planning results discussed on the Site depend on specific facts, supporting records, valuations, subsequent guidance, and the law in effect at the time of the relevant transaction. No result is guaranteed.
4. Intellectual Property and License to Use Content
The Site and its content — including text, graphics, checklists, guides, charts, and downloadable materials — are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.
We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access the Site and to view, download, and print content for your own personal, informational, non-commercial use. All other rights are reserved. Except as expressly permitted, you may not:
- reproduce, republish, distribute, sell, or commercially exploit Site content;
- modify Site content or create derivative works from it;
- remove or alter any copyright, attribution, or disclaimer notices;
- use automated means — including scraping, crawling, or bulk downloading — to extract Site content, or use Site content to train, fine-tune, or develop machine-learning or artificial-intelligence models, in each case without our prior written permission (standard search-engine indexing is permitted); or
- frame or mirror the Site or imply any affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement.
Brief quotations with attribution and a link to the original post are permitted for commentary, news reporting, and similar fair-use purposes.
5. Paid Products and Third-Party Services
Some materials referenced on the Site (such as paid guides) are sold through third-party platforms, and some functions (such as call scheduling and email delivery) are provided by third-party services. Your use of those platforms and services is governed by their own terms and privacy policies in addition to these Terms. We are not responsible for third-party platforms or services.
The Site may contain links to third-party websites. Those links are provided for convenience only and do not constitute an endorsement. We are not responsible for the content or practices of linked sites.
6. User Submissions
If you submit comments, questions, or other non-confidential content to the Site, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, reproduce, and display that content in connection with the Site. You represent that your submissions do not violate any third party's rights. We may remove any submission at our discretion. Do not submit confidential information; submissions are not protected by attorney–client privilege.
7. Disclaimer of Warranties
THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENTNESS, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS.
8. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) THE SITE OR ANY CONTENT, REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).
Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, and nothing in these Terms limits or modifies any duty owed to a client under a signed written engagement agreement, which is governed by that agreement.
9. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your violation of these Terms or your misuse of the Site or its content.
10. Governing Law and Venue
These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to the Site are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. The exclusive venue for any such dispute is the state and federal courts located in King County, Washington, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.
11. Changes to These Terms
We may revise these Terms at any time by posting an updated version on this page with a new "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
12. Severability; Entire Agreement
If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Disclaimer, are the entire agreement between you and us regarding use of the Site. They do not modify any written engagement agreement between you and any attorney or law firm.
13. Contact
Questions about these Terms can be sent through the Site's contact form.