UND School of Law partners with the Center for Innovation to launch a new Business & Non-Profit Law Clinic
The University of North Dakota School of Law and the Center for Innovation are excited to announce the launching of a new Business & Non-Profit Law Clinic.
The School of Law is proud to partner with the UND Center for Innovation to offer legal assistance for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits. The clinic will be directed by Paul Traynor, assistant professor of law and Tyler Leverington, attorney at law for Ohnstad Twichell, P.C and part-time instructor at UND School of Law.
The Business & Non-Profit Law Clinic will offer complimentary, transactional legal assistance to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and non-profits owned by underrepresented groups or who cannot otherwise afford legal services. The clinic will focus on providing legal assistance in the areas of contract drafting, explanation of legal rules, legal structure selection and obtaining 501(c)(3) status, and other diverse legal projects. Services will be free for accepted clients however, clients will be responsible for court filing fees. If projects cannot be accepted, an effort will be made to provide referrals for legal counsel.
“The clinic is an exciting experiential learning opportunity for law school students to learn about startup legal questions and processes as founder work to launch new business opportunities,” said Amy Whitney, director of the Center for Innovation at UND.
The clinic will be staffed by supervised students who are in their second- or third year at UND School of Law and have successfully completed or currently enrolled in the Business Associations class. The number of students selected each semester will depend on the number of applicants received and the amount of work requested. Interested students should submit a letter of interest, resume, and academic transcript to Professor Paul Traynor for consideration.
Justin Penney, current 3L at UND School of Law, is the first student accepted to work with the clinic. “I am so excited and honored to take part in the first session of UND Law School’s Business & Non-Profit Law Clinic,” said Penney. “It’s an amazing opportunity to take what I’ve learned in the classroom and actually use it to help businesses in our community.”
The Business & Non-Profit Law Clinic is looking to serve clients from the Grand Forks and surrounding communities. Interested businesses are encouraged to apply.
