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The New York–based legal advisor and founder of Benedict Advisors commits to bridging the gap in business law for underserved entrepreneurs.
New York, US, 18th February 2026, ZEX PR WIRE, In response to growing barriers faced by startups and small businesses seeking legal support, Tabber B. Benedict, Founder and Managing Partner of Benedict Advisors PLLC, has launched a personal pledge to champion legal equity for entrepreneurs who are often priced out of expert legal services.
“Legal structure is the foundation of a business,” says Benedict. “But too many brilliant entrepreneurs skip that step because they think it’s out of reach.”
Why It Matters Now
Recent data highlights the critical need for increased legal access:
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81% of small business owners lack in-house legal counsel. (Source: ABA)
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Nearly 60% of startup failures are due to preventable legal or operational missteps. (Source: Startup Genome)
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Only 1 in 4 entrepreneurs say they fully understand the legal implications of their cap table. (Source: Carta)
“Most founders don’t fail because of their ideas,” says Benedict. “They fail because they didn’t ask the right legal questions early on. My goal is to make those questions easier to ask—and easier to answer.”
7 Personal Commitments from Tabber B. Benedict
Benedict’s pledge includes 7 specific, ongoing behaviours he is personally committing to:
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Offer one pro bono legal consult per month to a first-time founder building a business under $1M.
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Publish one open-source legal resource each quarter to demystify legal terms, documents, and strategy.
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Host quarterly roundtables with fellow legal professionals to share best practices for lowering barriers to legal support.
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Speak at underfunded incubators or university entrepreneurship centres twice a year.
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Audit one internal workflow each month to identify where complexity can be reduced or explained better for clients.
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Check in quarterly with past clients from early-stage businesses to ensure their structures are still protecting their goals.
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Mentor one legal or business student per year from an underrepresented background.
“These are small things, but done consistently, they help close the gap,” says Benedict. “The legal profession needs to stop being a black box.”
A Toolkit Anyone Can Use: 10 DIY Legal Action Steps
To make his pledge scalable, Benedict has also released a free, public toolkit with 10 things any entrepreneur can do—without hiring a lawyer—to start building legal clarity into their business today.
The DIY Legal Clarity Toolkit:
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Create a one-page founder agreement using a basic template.
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List all IP created to date and who owns it.
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Start a contract checklist: Who you’ve hired, what they’ve signed, and what’s missing.
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Google your own business name—are you legally distinct?
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Make a cap table in Excel or Notion and keep it updated monthly.
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Read 3 articles about business structure in your state or country.
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Look up your state’s filing deadlines and add them to your calendar.
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Search for a free startup legal guide from a local law school.
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Ask one experienced founder how they handled their legal setup.
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Write down one legal “red flag” you’re ignoring—and draft a plan to fix it.
“You don’t need to be a lawyer to ask smarter questions,” Benedict reminds. “You just need a starting point.”
Simple 30-Day Progress Tracker
To help individuals take real action, the toolkit includes a 30-day tracker with space to:
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Set three legal clarity goals
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Track five documents you reviewed or updated
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Log two expert conversations or research reads
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List one issue you want to explore more deeply
Users can print or duplicate the tracker to keep their momentum going.
Call to Action: Take the Pledge, Share the Toolkit
Benedict is encouraging others—founders, legal professionals, mentors, and students—to adopt the pledge or modify it to fit their own role in the ecosystem.
“This isn’t about doing everything perfectly,” he says. “It’s about doing something consistently.”
To take the pledge, download the toolkit, or follow the journey, visit www.benedictadvisors.com/pledge or share it using #LegalAccessPledge.
About Tabber B. Benedict
Tabber B. Benedict is the Founder and Managing Partner of Benedict Advisors PLLC, a law firm providing partner-level legal counsel to lower middle-market businesses. A Columbia Law School graduate, Tabber brings over 25 years of experience from institutions including White & Case LLP, the White House, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. His mission is to make legal excellence more accessible, practical, and strategic for entrepreneurs and growing companies.
