Legal playbook · AI Employee: Lex

IP Assignment for New Hires

100% IP assignments signed before day 30

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The problem

IP assignment is the paperwork nobody remembers until the founder sale, the patent filing, or the open-source contribution controversy. Every new hire must sign a proprietary-information-and-inventions agreement (PIIA); most companies rely on "we included it in the onboarding docs" without tracking signatures. Two years later, half the engineering team never signed, one signed but assigned to the parent company (not the acquiring entity), and the deal-lawyer bills 40 hours reconstructing the chain.

At a glance
Trigger
HRIS event
Approvals
HR nudge on non-completion
What it does
Writes to your systems
Systems
HRIS · DocuSign
How it feels in production

An hour-by-hour walkthrough.

New hire Priya starts on 2026-10-01. Lex picks up the HRIS event 45 days ahead + assembles the IP assignment package: - PIIA (proprietary-information + inventions assignment), current template for the hiring entity (Acme Inc. vs. Acme UK vs. Acme Deutschland — each has jurisdictionally correct language) - Prior-inventions schedule (Priya lists any pre-existing IP she wants excluded from assignment) - Non-compete + non-solicit (jurisdictionally scoped — enforceable in some states, void in California, differently enforced in EU) - Confidentiality obligations continuing beyond employment Package sent to Priya via DocuSign 30 days before start. Includes plain-language explainer of what each provision means ("the PIIA says code you write for Acme belongs to Acme; your prior inventions listed on Schedule A remain yours"). Priya has questions in Slack: "can I list the open-source project I maintain as a prior invention?" Lex answers with the policy: "Yes — list it on Schedule A. Continued contribution is allowed on your own time; contribution during work hours or using company resources isn't. Details in the Acceptable Use section." Priya signs 5 days later. Lex verifies the signature, files the executed PIIA in the personnel folder + Ironclad (with correct entity + jurisdiction tags), updates HR to mark IP-agreements-complete, and closes the case. Day 1 arrives; every legal foundation is in place. For existing employees without PIIA on file (discovered in an audit), Lex runs the same flow retroactively with clear communication about why it's needed.
How it works

Step by step.

  1. 01

    Trigger from HRIS new-hire event (45 days ahead)

    Assemble IP assignment package: PIIA + prior-inventions schedule + restrictive covenants + confidentiality. All jurisdictionally correct for the hiring entity.

    Workday · BambooHR · HiBob · HRIS event stream
  2. 02

    Select jurisdictionally-correct template

    Entity determines base template; hire's location may add jurisdictional overlays (California carve-outs on non-competes, EU-specific data language, UK-specific enforceability nuances).

    Legal template library · Jurisdictional overlay matrix
  3. 03

    Send with plain-language explainer

    DocuSign envelope with the full package. Plain-language explainer alongside so hire understands what they're signing (reduces confusion + reduces the "why do I need to sign this" back-and-forth).

    DocuSign · Adobe Sign · Explainer templates
  4. 04

    Q&A during signing period

    Hire may have questions: prior-invention scope, non-compete enforceability, moonlighting policy. Lex answers with policy citations; complex questions escalate to legal.

    Slack · Teams · Policy library
  5. 05

    Verify signature + file + tag

    Verify signed. File in personnel folder + Ironclad with entity + jurisdiction + effective date tags. Mark HRIS IP-agreements-complete. Case closes; day 1 blockers cleared.

    DocuSign · Ironclad · HRIS · Personnel folder
Systems and wiring

What you connect to make this run.

Workday · BambooHR · HiBob

read+write

New-hire trigger + entity + jurisdiction. Write IP-agreements-complete flag so downstream systems (payroll, provisioning) see completion. Missing PIIA = onboarding hold trigger.

DocuSign · Adobe Sign

read+write

Envelope with full IP-assignment package. Track signature status with reminders. Executed copy retrieval on signature.

Ironclad · Concord · Personnel folder

read+write

Executed PIIA filed with entity + jurisdiction + effective-date tags. Enables the audit query "who has signed the current PIIA under Acme US."

Legal template library

read+write

Current PIIA templates per entity + jurisdiction. Template updates propagate to future hires; existing signed PIIAs remain valid under the template that was current at signing.

What changes

Before and after, honestly.

% of new hires with signed PIIA on day 1
Before
50-75%
After
98%+
Time from hire event to signed PIIA
Before
0-30 days after start
After
5-15 days before start
PIIA gaps discovered during M&A diligence
Before
10-30% of workforce
After
Under 1%
Legal hours per hire on IP paperwork
Before
45-90 minutes
After
5-15 minutes (exceptions only)
Related

Playbooks that pair with this one.

HR

New Hire Onboarding

IP assignment is one workstream in the broader onboarding orchestration.

Legal

NDA Generation

Same signing flow for NDAs; simpler template variant.

Legal

Legal Policy & Compliance Q&A

Employee questions about IP assignment scope route through the same Q&A pattern.

Frequently asked

Answers about this playbook.

What if a hire refuses to sign?

Refusal escalates to legal + HR + hiring manager. Employment typically conditional on signing per offer letter; unresolved refusal delays or cancels start. Rare in practice; usually clarification resolves.

How does it handle contractors + non-employee agreements?

Contractor IP-assignment agreements are separate (work-for-hire structure varies by jurisdiction). Same flow, different template. Vendor MSAs typically cover work-for-hire; contractor engagements need explicit assignment.

What about pre-existing IP the hire brings (open source, prior work)?

Prior-inventions schedule (Schedule A on the PIIA). Hire lists any excluded IP. Reviewed by legal for high-value items (patents, valuable OSS ownership). Signed schedule preserves what's excluded.

How does it handle acqui-hires (assignment during acquisition)?

Acqui-hire flow uses acquirer's PIIA. Prior PIIAs from the acquired company remain valid for pre-acquisition IP; new PIIA covers post-acquisition contributions. Continuity preserved.

What about employees changing entities (Acme US to Acme UK)?

Entity change triggers new PIIA under the new entity. Prior PIIA remains valid for prior period; new PIIA covers post-transfer contributions. Continuity of IP ownership preserved.

See it run on your data.

Free plan, no credit card. Connect the systems this playbook needs and run it against a past event first.

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