Yeah, you'll be breaking the law, whether you receive money or not. You cannot do any work for the company. Think of it this way: even if you went out and painted fences for people, you'd be breaking the law. You can't do anything for anyone, aside from volunteering.
I do not know the process for the company to get an H1-B quota, but the likelihood is that it will cost more than you think. If you can't afford the immigration lawyer, you can't afford to play these games with the US government. It's dangerous for both the company and yourself.
You're pretty screwed here (this is the H1-B working by design). What I think I have seen in the past is the immigrant actually leaves the US for their home country, work for the company there, then once its off the ground, you come back.
I do not know the process for the company to get an H1-B quota, but the likelihood is that it will cost more than you think. If you can't afford the immigration lawyer, you can't afford to play these games with the US government. It's dangerous for both the company and yourself.
You're pretty screwed here (this is the H1-B working by design). What I think I have seen in the past is the immigrant actually leaves the US for their home country, work for the company there, then once its off the ground, you come back.