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October 20, 2024 | Tom Ballard

U of Arkansas helps entrepreneurs with legal issues

The Entrepreneurial Law Project is a collaboration between the University's School of Law and its Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

A joint effort to provide legal aid to Arkansas entrepreneurs drew 16 early stage ventures and small business owners to Little Rock earlier this semester, part of an ongoing initiative to help start-ups struggling with obtaining legal counsel.

The Entrepreneurial Law Project is a collaboration between the University of Arkansas School of Law and the University’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation to provide free access to legal support for entrepreneurs. The project is funded through grants from the State of Arkansas and U.S. Economic Development Administration.

One of the primary barriers for early stage entrepreneurs is cost, and the Entrepreneurial Law Project seeks to remedy that by cultivating a communal legal ecosystem to support founders across the state, said Rachel Sullivant, Senior Associate Director of Student and Entrepreneurial Programs at the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

“In addition, ELP aims to educate and empower law students while providing meaningful pro bono opportunities for transactional attorneys,” Sullivant added.

About 15 attorneys and four law students — all volunteers — supported the event, hosted at 2nd & Main, the Sam M. Walton College’s executive education space in downtown Little Rock.

A wide range of legal issues were covered by several firms including entity selection, tax implications, employment law, and intellectual property. There were also one-on-one assessments to help entrepreneurs better understand and prioritize their legal needs.

The Entrepreneurial Law Project (ELP) began as a pilot project in spring 2023, with Law School and officials in the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation hoping the one-day clinic could transform into a permanent program. The Little Rock event was the second of four sessions that were organized this fall.

There are plans to continue the program in the spring 2025 semester with more access to attorneys, according to Will Foster, Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor at the School of Law.

“We’re grateful for the attorney and student volunteers who make this program possible,” Foster said. “We’re looking forward to expanding ELP programming in early 2025, including regular attorney office hours to help entrepreneurs address the legal issues identified in these initial events.”



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