Many bay area law firms work for free for a while if they like your idea. They also hook you up w/ angels and VC's b/c they're not going to get paid if they don't. Ours have given many startup workshops where they bring in industry ninjas from various fields to speak. One of those people is now on our board of advisors. Lawyers can actually be a great way to get your foot in the door to the valley, and done right, should not be seen as a total cost sink.
for the benefit of YC community, can u pls provide the names of these lawyers or website to sign-up for such workshops ... thanks
Most major bay area law firms are happy to gamble on startups they like. Email me and I'll tell you more. Not sure it's my place to blow up my Lawyers on a public forum. I can certainly ask them if they want me too, but I'd rather not do it w/o permission. Like I said though, it's pretty common.
Do you have any recommendations for specific firms to use?