California business transactions, done right.
Formation, contracts, employment counseling, and outside general counsel — for California companies that want the paperwork right the first time. Flat-fee. Founder-led. San Diego-based.
San Diego-based · Statewide California representation · Founded 2017 · Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2019–2026
California business counsel
Formation, contracts, employment, OGC
Flat-fee transactional work. OGC in three tiers. Every fee named in the engagement letter — no hourly meter, no retainer surprises.
- Years in practice
- 8+
- Every engagement
- Founder-led
- Priced upfront
- Flat-fee
- Business & OGC counsel
- California
Get the paperwork right the first time.
Most California business disputes start as decisions someone documented incorrectly — or didn’t document at all. Our transactional work is built to make those disputes not happen. Formation, contracts, employment agreements, and outside general counsel — done with the failure modes in mind.
Built around the situations California business owners actually face.
Business formation
California LLCs, corporations, operating agreements, and buy-sell agreements — drafted by an attorney, with the failure modes in mind.
Explore practiceContracts
Drafted, reviewed, and negotiated contracts — with the California-specific issues most out-of-state templates miss.
Explore practiceEmployment counseling
Handbooks, employment agreements, contractor agreements, and compliance work that prevents California employer claims.
Explore practiceOutside general counsel
Foundation, Partner, and Embedded tiers — priced against the alternative of in-house counsel.
Explore practiceA short, candid first conversation. Then a clear scope and a clear price.
Our intake exists to tell you whether you need a lawyer and whether we’re the right one — not to sell you a retainer.
- Step 1
Discovery call
Fifteen to thirty minutes. Confidential. We tell you whether your matter is one we can take and what the path looks like.
- Step 2
Scoped engagement
Written engagement letter with the scope, the flat fee, what's included, what's not, and the costs you'll see pass through.
- Step 3
Senior-led execution
Taylor handles the matter. No bait-and-switch staffing where a junior associate runs your case and you discover that on the bill.
- Step 4
Predictable billing
Flat fees mean the number you saw on the engagement letter is the number you pay — no surprise bills, no creep.
I started Think Legal to build the practice I wished my parents had had access to when they were running theirs.
I’m Taylor E. Darcy — a California-licensed attorney with a JD/MBA. I founded Think Legal in 2017, straight out of law school, after spending most of my childhood watching my parents run a small business. Clear answers, predictable fees, an attorney who treats the business as the priority and the legal work as the service.
My job is to give you a candid read on what you’re facing, scope the work, and tell you the number — before we start, in writing. Then I do the work. No hourly meter, no associate-staffing shell game, no fear-based marketing.
Verbatim reviews from real Google clients.
4.9 average across 41 Google reviews
Taylor Darcy is an exceptional attorney who can guide you through LLC transfers and business sales and acquisition. He has lived experience and many years of practice in helping small businesses start up and thrive. As I purchased an existing business, Attorney Darcy was informative and effective in asking important questions, developing strategies, and protecting my interests in transferring ownership. He communicates effectively and follows through on the plan that you and he develop together. If you are wondering who to go to for help, look no further. I will be using his services as my business continues to grow.
I am opening a new business and sought for legal counsel to help me establish an LLC. This is my first time establishing a new business, and I had lots of questions. Taylor was very helpful and answered my questions, as well as bringing up important considerations that I didn't even know existed. He successfully guided me through the process, and before I knew it, my company was open and ready for business. I'm very grateful for his caring and considerate manner, as well as his sound legal counsel. I highly recommend attorney Taylor Darcy and Think Legal.
Very pleased with the service quality I've experienced with Think Legal! Taylor is an amazing attorney who is very knowledgeable to ensure that your small business succeeds and is well protected. He is very welcoming and doesn't hesitate to answer any questions you may have about your business. I would highly recommend Taylor, have a quick chat with him and you'll see the benefits immediately!
I found myself in a predicament and another attorney friend of mine recommended I speak to Taylor. I literally lost sleep thinking about what was to come from my predicament. Taylor from Think Legal called me today and spoke to me for over 30 minutes and guided me on how to handle my predicament and he told me the nuts and bolts of what goes on in my type of predicament. I could tell Taylor spoke from the heart and he set my mind at peace. I can truly say from my heart, Taylor is an incredible person and an awesome attorney.
Without a doubt, Taylor Darcy is one of the most experienced and knowledgable attorneys. He is confident, collected, and empathic to his clients needs. He helped our business get incorporated and the service was top notch from beginning to end. I would not hesitate to recommend his services to my family, friends, and colleagues.
I engaged Mr. Darcy to assist me in negotiating a settlement regarding a small claims suit I had filed. Taylor listened to the details of my case and was very knowledgeable regarding the various legal means that could be employed to recover my property. He communicated a clear strategy that he felt would result in the best outcome. What I appreciated most was that he listened openly and objectively to me as I explained to him what I considered to be the best possible outcome in what was a very difficult situation. He didn't try to force me down a particular path that would result in the largest fee for his firm. Taylor is responsive, articulate, very personable, and I believe him to be honest and honorable. I gladly recommend his services.
Reviews shown verbatim from Google. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each legal matter is fact-specific. Cal RPC 7.1.
Where we are
San Diego based. California statewide.
Long-form, plain-English answers — not blog filler.
California LLC formation: a complete pre-, during-, and post- checklist
The decisions you should make before filing — and the post-formation work most DIY filers skip that creates the disputes we see two years later.
Read the guideCalifornia LLC operating agreements — what §17701.10 actually requires
The provisions that decide every dispute, and the drafting choices that separate real operating agreements from templates.
Read the guideCalifornia buy-sell agreements: triggers, valuation, and funding
The drafting choices that decide whether the agreement holds up when a co-owner leaves, divorces, dies, or wants out.
Read the guideBefore you reach out.
Tell us what you're facing. We'll tell you what's actually next.
Every engagement starts with a short discovery call — fifteen to thirty minutes, confidential, no obligation. We'll tell you whether the matter is one we can take, what the scope looks like, and what it costs.