The best part? Witnessing the excitement on clients' faces when they explain their business idea to me and knowing that my work positively affects them.
The ELC is currently undergoing a staff transition. With this change in progress, in the 2023–2024 academic year, the ELC will only be accepting clients with trademark filings.
The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic (ELC) is an innovative clinic serving entrepreneurs throughout the Pacific Northwest. The ELC teams law and business students with pro bono attorneys and business advisors. Together, they provide critical early-stage legal and business counseling to technology entrepreneurs, small business owners, social entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and University of Washington and Institute for Translational Health Sciences faculty researchers. By providing such counseling, the ELC has become one of the cornerstones of the innovation ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest. The ELC also partners with CoMotion, The Seattle Public Library and various community organizations to give presentations on various topics of interest to startups that are open to the public.
The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic (ELC) operates as a transactional and counseling clinic, focusing on delivering comprehensive support to startups through a "legal and business audit." This audit serves to proactively identify potential issues before they escalate into serious problems. Typically, we provide startups with a confidential report, usually distributed at the end of each academic quarter. This report not only highlights identified issues but also offers guidance on how to address them effectively. Additionally, it outlines strategies to establish systems that limit or prevent common pitfalls in business formation and growth. Our standard representation is exclusively dedicated to facilitating this audit process.
Upon mutual written agreement between the startup and the ELC, we may extend our representation to assist in basic entrepreneurship-focused legal services, such as:
The Clinical Law program is pleased to announce three incoming clinic directors: Jevan Hutson for Technology Law and Public Policy, Jeannine Lemker for the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic and Nicole Lemker for the Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic.
Learn how the clinic assists low-income entrepreneurs throughout the Pacific Northwest with their business needs while providing real-world experience for the clinic’s students.
Join us Oct. 18 and Nov. 1 for innovative legal lectures on issues affecting entrepreneurs.
Andrew Serafini and Patrick Njeim, partners at Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton, will work with students as part of the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic’s participation in the United States Patent and Trademark Office Law School Clinic Certification Program.
Alumna Selena Ng recalls how the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic provided invaluable, real-world experience in meeting the needs of small-business clients.