Entrepreneurship Clinic: Clinical Practice

Catalog description

The Entrepreneurship Clinic is the successor to the Organizations & Transactions Clinic, which was Stanford's first corporate experiential course involving representation of real clients. Under the leadership of a new professor, the clinic will continue to be a corporate experiential course, with a shift in focus toward representing low-income entrepreneurs. The clinic is designed for students interested in pursuing corporate law careers, such as in general corporate practice; emerging companies and venture capital; mergers and acquisitions; capital markets; technology transactions; executive compensation and employee benefits; or other corporate work. The clinic is also designed for those wanting to explore a non-litigation, advisory-oriented practice. Prior experience in business or corporate law is welcome but not necessary. Students represent multiple clients during the term. Our clients include low-income entrepreneurs, social impact enterprises, and non-profit organizations. Students also provide educational legal workshops for entrepreneurs with limited resources. Client engagements provide students with opportunities to assess facts; conduct legal research; develop advice; read and draft contracts, legal memoranda, corporate governance materials, emails, and other client communications; lead meetings and calls with clients; collaborate with colleagues; and manage projects. Our practice is document-intensive and service-oriented; we focus on clear communication and crisp execution. In addition to learning fundamental skills of transactional lawyers, students develop their judgment and business acumen, and learn to add value to clients and their transactions by problem-solving. Students also see the many ways corporate lawyers can carry out pro bono work and how business ownership can promote economic empowerment and social justice. The course includes a class…