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The Civic Room
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LEGAL ADVISORY
THE CIVIC ROOM
SPEAKING & MEDIA
INSIGHTS
CONNECT
ARM ONE — THE ADVISORY ENGINE
Senior counsel, built into your organization.
Strategic Advisory, contract lifecycle, and judgment for organizations navigating complex terrain — the depth of a general counsel without the full-time overhead.
→ Nonprofits & advocacy organizations
→ Tech founders raising & scaling
→ Executives in high-stakes moments
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THE EIGHT SERVICES
THE EIGHT SERVICES
Strategic Advisory
Board-level counsel on the decisions that shape the organization — structure, risk, partnerships, and the moments where legal strategy and business strategy are the same conversation.
Legal & Litigation Support
Contract negotiation, dispute strategy, and pre-litigation positioning — and when a matter requires management of outside counsel, legal support and cross-functional partnership so nothing is lost in translation.
Compliance, HR & Governance
Policies that hold up under pressure: employment matters, board governance, and the regulatory obligations that come with growth, funding, and public attention.
Narrative Strategy & Communications
What you say in a high-stakes moment is a legal decision. Messaging counsel for announcements, crises, and campaigns — built with the legal exposure in view.
Fundraising & Donor Engagement
Cultivation playbooks, major-donor pitch decks, ask language by tier, and sponsorship packages — with the reception design, follow-up templates, and impact reporting that turn a single moment into a sustained relationship.
Legal Operations
The infrastructure of a well-run legal function: contract pipelines, templates, playbooks, and tooling that let a lean team move like a bigger one.
Civic Convenings — The Civic Room
The practice's public arm: panels and convenings produced with the organizations doing the work. This service lives on the other side of the spine — enter The Civic Room.
Fractional GC & Startup Advisory
Ongoing senior counsel embedded in your leadership rhythm — present for the board meeting, the term sheet, and the Tuesday question that can't wait for a law firm's intake process.
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Senior strategic counsel for founders, executives, and organizations navigating complex legal, policy, and reputational landscapes — with someone who has operated inside every one of those systems.
Monthly strategy sessions with prioritized action plans and accountability
Stakeholder mapping, partnership development, and curated introductions
Issue framing, policy briefing memos, and executive communications
Quarterly board briefings and organizational progress checkpoints
Cross-sector network access spanning legal, philanthropic, media, and policy communities
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Practical, matter-focused legal capacity when you need it most.
Legal research memos and case strategy — rush options available
Contract lifecycle management — drafting, negotiation, review, and ongoing contract support
Outside counsel coordination and supervised matter support
Separate engagement letters and conflict checks for all matters
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Workplace infrastructure that protects your people and your mission.
Employee handbooks, harassment and anti-discrimination policies, remote work frameworks
Complaint intake protocols and neutral investigation templates
HR audits with prioritized remediation roadmaps
Manager and staff training modules
Board governance: assessments, bylaws, committee charters, retreat facilitation
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The story you tell determines the rooms you get into.
Audience-specific messaging frameworks for donors, media, policymakers, and partners
Op-ed strategy, drafting, and placement support
Spokesperson prep and media training
Crisis communications playbook and rapid-response protocols
Brand positioning and communications audit
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Turning relationships into resources.
Donor cultivation playbooks and major donor pitch decks
Fundraising event scripts and donor ask language by tier
Sponsorship package development and sponsor outreach strategy
Post-event donor follow-up templates and impact reporting
VIP reception design and stewardship frameworks
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Systems that let you focus on mission, not management.
Legal operations audit — assessing current systems, identifying gaps, and prioritizing improvements
Document automation templates and centralized filing architecture
Staff training on intake, triage, and case management best practices
Implementation roadmap and roll-out milestones
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Put your story on the stage it deserves.
Full-service co-branded panel production under The Civic Room
Guest curation, run-of-show, and professional on-stage moderation
Fundraising infrastructure: VIP receptions, donor scripts, sponsorship packages
Post-event content: edited podcast episode, social clips, press materials
You show up. We handle everything else. Custom pricing available on request.
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Senior legal counsel for founders who are moving fast. For early and growth-stage companies building legal infrastructure from the ground up.
Contract lifecycle management and commercial negotiations
IP strategy, trademark portfolio, and licensing frameworks
Regulatory compliance and risk advisory
Employment frameworks and HR policy development for scaling teams
WHAT WORKING WITH IDEATE LEGAL LOOKS LIKE
Fractional GC through a fundraise
A hyper-growth startup preparing for a major fundraising round needed senior legal oversight of its contract lifecycle, IP portfolio, and investor readiness — without the overhead of a full-time hire. Ideate Legal served as fractional GC, building the infrastructure that makes it possible, and stayed on to provide continued legal support to the team.
ARM ONE — THE ADVISORY ENGINE
ARM TWO — THE PUBLIC PLATFORM
DEVIKA TANDON · TORONTO → SYDNEY → LOS ANGELES
ABOUT
SPEAKING & MEDIA
INSIGHTS
CONNECT
Devika Tandon is in good standing with the New York State Bar. No litigation services offered.
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12 yrs
Inside the system from every angle — federal, in-house, nonprofit
NYSE IPO
Senior in-house counsel at FIGS through a successful public offering
65+ cases
Representing unaccompanied children in immigration court
4 federal institutions
DOJ Attorney-Advisor overseeing the legal portfolio across SoCal
THE PHILOSOPHY
“We don’t just protect your interests. We help you advance them.”
Devika Tandon — Founder, Ideate Legal
Bring senior counsel inside your organization.
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