Cake handles cap table management, compliance reporting, 409A coordination, ASC 718 expensing, and document workflows for grants and SAFE conversions. A lawyer is still needed for legal judgment calls, such as drafting custom agreements or resolving unique deal terms. On Cake, routine equity admin is automated so attorneys can focus on decisions that need their expertise. This is general information, and companies should confirm specifics with their own legal advisor.
This question comes up constantly during first-time equity setup, not just when a company is migrating platforms. Founders and finance teams often aren't sure where Cake's automation stops and where a lawyer's judgment actually starts, especially before they've been through a grant cycle or a round.
Cake handles the repeatable parts: keeping the cap table current, generating grant and SAFE documents from templates, coordinating 409A valuations, and tracking ASC 718 expensing. A lawyer's judgment is still needed for anything that isn't repeatable: custom deal terms, resolving a dispute between stakeholders, or drafting an agreement that doesn't fit a standard template.
The split isn't about cutting legal counsel out. It's about making sure their time goes toward decisions that actually need a lawyer, not paperwork that doesn't.
How Cake gives legal counsel less admin and more judgment calls
Automated document workflows and built-in compliance mean less routine admin and fewer billable hours spent on paperwork. Cake handles grants, SAFE conversions, and 409A coordination as repeatable workflows, so legal counsel spends more time on the work that actually needs their judgment, not on regenerating the same document from scratch each time.
This article is designed and intended to provide general information in summary form on general topics. The material may not apply to all jurisdictions. The contents do not constitute legal, financial or tax advice. The contents is not intended to be a substitute for such advice and should not be relied upon as such. If you would like to chat with a lawyer, please get in touch and we can introduce you to one of our very friendly legal partners.
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