Facilitating Access to Entrepreneurship Inside the Clinic Setting Dana Thompson, Clinical Professor of Law and Director G.S. Hans, Clinical Fellow University of Michigan Law School Entrepreneurship Clinic

Introduction • The University of Michigan Law School Entrepreneurship Clinic assists startups, existing ventures and small businesses in Southeast Michigan, with a particular focus on student-driven startups within the University. • No matter their background, entrepreneurs face challenges in engaging with legal systems that pose barriers to starting a business.

Eliminating Barriers • For those who have not previously started a business or are relatively inexperienced with legal governance, the barriers to getting off the ground can seem impossibly daunting. • These include: challenges with entity formation and governance; determining how to protect IP and ideas; and managing contracts, agreements, and permits & licenses. • Today we’ll discuss how our clinic has worked to reduce these barriers, through community outreach and education, strategic partnerships, and the development of publicly available resources.

Barriers • Lack of financial and social capital • Lack of awareness of available resources in the community and in our university • Obscure or intimidating legal systems (e.g. entity formation and governance, IP, tax, licensing) • Narrow views of what lawyers can do for entrepreneurs

Strategies to Removing Barriers • Community Education and Outreach – e.g Ann Arbor New Tech Meetup • Videos Developed by Clinic Faculty • Walk-In Office Hours • Partnerships with University Units and Community Organizations • Blog • Attorney Affiliate Program • Community education and outreach through speaking engagements and co-hosting events • Videos developed by clinic faculty on business entities and intellectual property law • Walk-in office hours at multiple locations to create a pipeline for client development and expose students to legal issues in the community • Partnerships with other University units and community organizations to provide more individualized resources and education • Public writing on our blog by students on legal areas of interest to entrepreneurs and startups

Case Study: From Expungement to Entrepreneurship • Developed by Professor Thompson and local judge • Recognized that many people seeking expungements don’t have traditional employment opportunities

Case Study: From Expungement to Entrepreneurship • Paired expungement clinic with workshop on business planning and legal issues confronted when setting up a small business • Topics covered included business planning, business entities, worker classification, protecting intellectual property, creating contracts, and understanding licenses and permits needed for business

Case Study: Clinic Hours • During each term, the Clinic holds three hours per week around campus (one hour each at Business, Engineering, and our student accelerator). Entrepreneurs can sign up for a slot to get quick answers to legal needs. • Each clinic student attends four sessions per term, with a classmate, and supervised by an instructor. • Students take the lead on answering questions and help to demystify the legal system, often leading to potential clients. • Usually we see 4–6 different people/potential clients per week.

Case Study: Intra-Unit Collaboration • Collaboration with the Zell Lurie Institute and Zell Entrepreneurs • Workshops to Ross Business School students • Workshops to Center for Entrepreneurship School of Engineering Students • Collaboration with the TechArb and Desai Accelerators

Case Study: Wolverine Startup Law Blog • Clinic students must write a blog post during the term on an area of law relevant to startups and entrepreneurs. • Because the format is designed for a general audience, students typically struggle in explaining the law without using legalese. • The experience both helps them think on how to engage with legal principles in new ways, and increases public access and knowledge of legal systems.

Lessons Learned • Eliminating barriers is a core mission of our clinic, which we endeavor to achieve using a variety of tools and approaches. • Students appreciate the chance to employ their skills in different contexts and forms, providing a range of learning opportunities. • The community benefits from our engagement with different audiences and in exploring how the law can work to support individual and business goals, and community development. • Future work will engage on sustained training and follow-ups to assess what strategies are most effective, and how the community needs are evolving.

Questions??