NEST - 'Nextgen Environment for STartups - is run by lawyers whose charge out rate is US$150 an hour - a discount of between 35 and 50 per cent  of the usual fees which range from $229 to $300 per hour. Geoff Ossia, a DLA Piper partner, said: 'Startups look at law firms for business and capital connection.NEST is our intent to harness that in one package. It’s a symbiotic relationship. DLA has lots of business contacts.'

Lower rate

Explaining how the fees work and who the lawyers involved are, Mr Ossia continued: 'These are attorneys that want to do this type of work. They [start-ups] get the skill set of an incredible firm at a lower rate.'

Deal flow

Start-ups are a specialist area for DLA which completed 143 US early stage deals between venture capitalists and start-ups in 2014. Source: Phoenix Business Journal