Legal counsel is relied on more heavily these days to be a business arbiter, rather than a “take no prisoner negotiator” who must win every last deal point. These deals aren’t rocket science and any good lawyer knows that. As a result, legal counsel (at least good legal counsel) is now much more of a deal maker than hard ass negotiator.
(Full Post: http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2005/12/term-sheets-contentious-issues-and-lawyers.html)

Brad Feld has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987. He is currently a Managing Director at Foundry Group. Prior to co-founding Foundry Group, he co-founded Mobius Venture Capital and, prior to that, founded Intensity Ventures. Brad is also a co-founder of TechStars.