Entrepreneurial Law Clinic - Information for Clients
Overall, the clinic, my team, & my attorneys exceeded my expectations. I cannot express how valuable this has been for me and my company. The ELC has made it possible for small business owners like me to have access to valuable business and legal aid, which otherwise may not have been possible. I look forward to working with the clinic again next quarter, and one day to also give back to the ELC so that this program may continue to help other small businesses in the future. 
-Client, Entrepreneurial Law Clinic
General Overview of Services
ELC is a transactional and counseling clinic, which means that we do not represent clients in litigation, arbitration, mediation, or any other active dispute. Instead our services center on providing your business with a comprehensive “legal and business audit” that will help you identify issues before they become serious problems. We will provide you with a confidential report, generally at the end of the academic quarter in which you or your business became a client. This report will also give you guidance on how to proceed to remedy potential problems and/or establish systems to limit or prevent standard business formation and growth pitfalls. Our standard representation includes a commitment only to this audit process.
Upon mutual written agreement between you and ELC, we may extend our representation to assist you in basic entrepreneurship-focused legal services such as
- Forming a corporation, limited liability company (LLC), or other legal business entity as appropriate
- Filing simple intellectual property (IP) documents such as provisional patent applications, copyright registrations, and trademark registration applications
- Reviewing, negotiating, and/or drafting contracts such as commercial leases and loans, vendor agreements, services agreements, or employment agreements
- Assisting in compliance with state and local business licenses and taxes
- Drafting and execution of trademark and copyright registrations, provisional patent applications, and licensing or assignment agreements.
- IP counseling regarding branding, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, freedom to operate, unfair competition, antitrust, publicity rights, and privacy rights
There are no fees for ELC services, but clients are responsible for out-of-pocket expenses such as incorporation, patent, copyright, or trademark registration/filing fees.
More detailed information on our services for specific kinds of entrepreneurs can be found below through the following links:
General Guidelines for Client Eligibility
To qualify for assistance, you must:
- have a business plan (or be willing to create one), and
- be unable to afford the legal services that you need
To determine your income eligibility, we will consider your personal income and expenses, as well as the income, expenses, and nature of the proposed or existing business for which you are seeking services. Note that eligibility of non-profit ventures and UW or ITHS technology spin-off projects are assessed by different criteria.
Roughly, personal income guidelines are as follows:
| Number of persons in family:
| Income must be at or below:
|
1 |
$43,050 |
2 |
$49,200 |
3 |
$55,350 |
4 |
$61,500 |
5 |
$66,400 |
6 |
$71,350 |
7 |
$76,250 |
8 |
$81,200 |
For more detail on how we apply these guidelines to different kinds of entrepreneurial ventures, please follow the links above. You may also contact us at .