# When to Consult a Lawyer

MIDAO is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice — please read our full [legal disclaimer](/legal-disclaimer.md). MIDAO provides template documents and guidance, and our team has worked with hundreds of Web3 lawyers; we are happy to make introductions.

You are not required to hire a lawyer to register a DAO LLC, and many projects do not. The MIDAO template Operating Agreement, the registration portal, and our team's support cover the standard registration path. That said, there are situations where a lawyer's involvement adds real value.

## When a Lawyer Is Especially Worth Engaging

* **Customizing your Operating Agreement beyond the template.** If you are changing how membership, governance, profit allocation, or smart-contract integration works in ways the template does not contemplate, a lawyer should review the changes.
* **Token securities advice.** If your DAO LLC will issue, sell, or distribute tokens that may have economic rights (or may be sold in jurisdictions other than the Marshall Islands), securities counsel familiar with your investors' jurisdictions is important. The [DAO Act provides clear treatment for non-profit DAO LLC tokens and for governance tokens with no economic rights](/rmi-dao-llc-registration-and-compliance/tokens-and-securities-laws.md), but other jurisdictions' securities laws may still apply.
* **Home-jurisdiction tax.** Members of a DAO LLC may have pass-through tax obligations in their own countries of residence. A local tax advisor in each Member's jurisdiction is the right person to ask.
* **Complex amendments.** Amendments that change ownership structure, transfer significant assets, or restructure governance benefit from legal review even though the [amendment itself is effective immediately on execution](/dao-llc-structuring/dao-llc-operating-agreements-and-amendments.md).
* **Fund or securities offerings.** If your DAO LLC is operating as an [investment company](/dao-llc-structuring/dao-llcs-as-investment-companies.md) and accepting capital from outside investors — particularly across borders — a fund lawyer should help with private placement memoranda, subscription agreements, and investor-side compliance (e.g., U.S. Investment Advisers Act, EU AIFMD).
* **Mergers, acquisitions, or restructurings.** Combining entities, spinning out subsidiaries, or transferring assets to or from another company.
* **Disputes or potential litigation.** Anything involving a contractual disagreement, regulator inquiry, or potential claim by or against the DAO LLC.

## What MIDAO Does and Does Not Do

* **MIDAO provides:** template Operating Agreements and other formation documents, registration support, annual filing support, certified and notarized documents, KYC/KYB coordination, and introductions to lawyers, banks, and other service providers.
* **MIDAO does not provide:** legal advice, securities opinions, tax opinions, fund administration, or representation in disputes.

## How to Get Connected

If you would like an introduction to a Web3 lawyer in a particular jurisdiction or with a particular specialty, please [contact us](https://www.midao.org/get-started) or [schedule a consultation](https://calendly.com/d/cw33-vms-54g/midao-intro-meeting) and we will refer you.


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