创业法律诊所

About the Clinic

The 创业法律诊所 is a year-long course taken in a student’s final year of law school. 学生获得有限的法律执业执照, 由爱达荷州最高法院颁布, 并在实际客户事务中担任首席律师. Credits earned through participation in the ELC count toward a student’s experiential learning requirement for graduation. 诊所由尼克·史密斯教授和亚历克斯·霍德森教授监督.

Learning Goals

The ELC was established more than 15 years ago to provide third-year students with real-life experience handling transactional legal matters and to provide assistance to business owners and entrepreneurs in Idaho. More specifically, the ELC is designed to expose students to the following:

• Ethical issues involved in dual- or multiple-party representations.
• The value of a business plan in establishing owner expectations and providing consistent communications to the attorney and other business advisors.
• 业务形成过程-包括实体的选择, filing timelines, 和客户沟通.
• 接收客户-准备和文件
• 成立文件及其功能, with particular attention to the fundamental ownership documents (e.g., 股东协议, operating agreement, or partnership agreement) that details owner rights and obligations.
• Intellectual property issues facing the new business, with exposure to 商标起诉.
• The regulatory and contractual environment that impacts new and existing businesses.
• The value of a comprehensive legal “health” assessment to assist the new business in addressing contractual, regulatory, 以及其他法律问题.

Clinic Work

Clients of the clinic are new ventures and small businesses in Idaho. The most common assignments involve the formation of an appropriate business entity, preparation and review of confidentiality and employment agreements, 商标起诉, 审查商业租约.

Because the ELC does not handle any litigation or disputes, ELC students will not go to court. Instead, students will work directly with clinic clients to handle real transactions and give legal advice.

Administration

The program is operated similar to a corporate law firm: the student participant and the faculty supervisor meet together with each prospective client; the student interviews the prospective client about the proposed venture or legal problem facing the client; the student prepares notes of the meeting and discusses with the supervisor whether the ELC should represent the client. 如果导师和学生决定代表客户, the student prepares and sends an engagement letter to the client for their consideration. If the client elects to engage the ELC and signs the engagement letter, 学生完成所有要求的研究, drafting, and other client work under the guidance and supervision of the supervisor. When the engagement is complete, the student disengages the client from the ELC.

Classroom Sessions

除了代理客户, 诊所学生上课接受技能培训, 学习与临床工作相关的实体法, 和演讲嘉宾交流. 学生们也会参加案例考察, where they discuss their client work and assist each other with any issues that arise.

How to Apply

学生在21年级的春季申请加入ELC. Students with questions or interest in the ELC at any stage of law school are encouraged to contact 尼克·史密斯教授.

The ELC provides a wide variety of transactional legal services to new ventures and small businesses in Idaho.

服务的客户类型

ELC的前客户包括科技创业公司, authors, breweries, consultants, counselors, restaurants, hotels, 非营利组织, retail stores, app developers, clothing companies, etc.

ELC代表着爱达荷州各个地区的客户. Although the ELC is physically located in the College of Law’s Boise facility, clients from all over Idaho can meet with student attorneys by phone or online and exchange documents electronically. We actively encourage business owners and entrepreneurs outside of Ada County to apply for services.

因为我们的资源有限, we are unfortunately unable to serve every business that applies for services. Priority is given to legal matters that are a good educational fit for ELC students.

执行的服务类型

The ELC provides general business legal services, including but not limited to:

• Forming a Business
  • Choosing an entity
  • 基本组织文件, including bylaws, operating agreements, 以及业主之间的协议
  • 获取税号
  • Non-profits
• 公司治理
  • Meeting minutes
  • 任命管理人员和董事
  • 记录关键事件
  • 合法的健康检查
• 为你的企业融资
  • Loan documents
  • Raising capital
  • Crowdfunding
  • Banking
• Employment
  • Employment agreement
  • Employee handbooks
  • 独立承包商协议
  • 雇佣和解雇员工
• 合同评审和起草
  • 与客户和供应商签订合同
  • 网站使用条款和隐私政策
  • Licensing agreements
  • Services agreements
  • Insurance
  • 保密协议
  • Order Forms
  • Equipment leases
  • 征求建议书(rfp)和信息(rfi)
  • Warranties
• 知识产权
  • 商标检索及建议
  • Trademark filings
  • Copyrights
  • 如何保护商业秘密和机密信息
• Real Estate
  • 商业租赁和转租
  • 共享工作空间协议
  • Renewals

ELC不代表客户处理纠纷或诉讼. In addition, the ELC will refer clients needing help with patent applications to other resources.

Cost of Services

所有法律服务都是免费提供的. However, 客户必须直接支付所有的实际费用, such as filing, registration, and license fees.

How to Apply

To apply for services, please complete the application by clicking the Apply for Services button. If you need any assistance completing the form or have any questions about the ELC, please email law-elc@kaidandizo.com 或致电208-364-6166.

Submitting an application does not create an attorney-client relationship with the ELC. 你不会成为ELC的客户, 委员会亦不会展开法律工作, 直到你和我们签署了聘书.

A summary of our application process, including estimated timelines, is below. This information is provided for information purposes only and is subject to change based on the needs of the ELC.