Iron Ark PLLC · Practice
Founder disputes & founder rights.
Boards · investors · control · equity · exits
Iron Ark PLLC represents founders when their role in the company they built is challenged. That includes disputes with boards over removal, termination, and "for cause" findings; fights with investors over control, voting and protective provisions, dilution, down rounds, and drag-along rights; disputes over vesting, repurchase rights, and founder equity; and claims tied to the founding itself – who contributed what, and what was promised. We also represent founders on the way out, when an exit, earnout, or rollover does not deliver what was negotiated. A founder's rights live in the charter, the operating or stockholder agreement, the investor documents, and the employment terms, and our work starts there. Eli Albrecht has negotiated founder and investor terms across hundreds of transactions; Brian C. Kerr has litigated control, governance, and fiduciary-duty disputes nationwide, including in Delaware's courts. We take strong founder claims on contingency and price other matters as flat fees by phase.
What we handle
Removal, termination, and "for cause" disputes with boards.
Control, voting, board-seat, and protective-provision fights with investors.
Dilution, down-round, and drag-along disputes.
Vesting, repurchase, and founder-equity disputes.
Founding claims: contributions, promises, and ownership at formation.
Exit disputes: earnouts, rollover equity, and post-closing claims against buyers.
After the exit
For many founders, the sale isn't the end of the story. When part of the price is paid later as an earnout – and the buyer reports a shortfall or stops paying – we represent founders pursuing it, on a fixed fee, on contingency, or a hybrid. Earnout disputes for founders & sellers →
How it is priced
Founders with strong claims against a well-funded company, board, investor, or buyer may qualify for contingency or a hybrid structure. Other matters are priced as flat fees by phase.
When the network comes in
Typical additions are valuation and forensic-accounting experts, employment counsel for executive-agreement issues, and litigators admitted where the company is incorporated or the dispute must be filed. Network counsel work on assignments the lead team defines, and their work is reviewed before it goes out. Their cost sits inside the fee structure agreed at engagement – and on contingency matters, network attorneys join us on contingency.
You built the company. The documents say what that earned.
Discuss your matter →