Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (IHEAC)

Under the supervision of a faculty member/director of the clinic, students learn to represent entrepreneurs, start-ups and not-for-profit organizations in a setting that is similar to a small law firm. Issues most frequently encountered include choice of entity, entity formation, founder and initial investor agreements, shareholder agreements, loan arrangements, certain intellectual property protection, commercial real estate leasing and acquisition, operating agreements, employee management and compliance with regulatory requirements. Students will learn the basic skills necessary to attract and interview potential clients, organize a business plan, communicate orally and in writing with a client and third parties, conduct research, draft transactional documents, prepare for and manage closings. Students will learn basic principles of law office administration and will be expected to comply with law office protocols (e.g. conflict screens, client confidentiality, and time and expense record keeping) and will learn and conform to the professional responsibilities of lawyers engaged in business transactional practice. The faculty member will hold weekly class sessions for presentation and discussion of client projects, skill development, and legal issues affecting entrepreneurs and counsel for entrepreneurs. This course satisfies the experiential learning requirement.

This two-credit clinical experience will be open to students who have previously enrolled in the four-credit Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic (the "EAC") and will build upon the skills that they learned in their earlier experience in the EAC. The two-credit course will involve a senior role in client projects at the EAC, assistance to first-time students at the EAC and participation in new initiatives undertaken by the EAC.