Day Division

Students in this year-long clinic provide transactional legal assistance to nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Under close faculty supervision, students interview and counsel clients; plan and strategize on matters; research relevant questions of law; draft correspondence, memos and legal documents; manage client relationships; and negotiate agreements. Students take primary responsibility for work with multiple clients on a variety of matters such as entity formation, governance, contracts, intellectual property and regulatory compliance. Clients range from start-ups to more mature entities. Clients generally come from or benefit low-income communities, and all are unable to afford market rates for legal services. This clinic helps prepare students for work with organizational clients and introduces students to opportunities for transactional lawyers to further economic, environmental, racial and social justice.

The Nonprofit and Small Business Clinic is comprised of seminar and fieldwork experience for both fall and spring semesters. During the fall semester, weekly seminars focus on substantive areas of law, ethics, and lawyering skills. Students prepare for and lead case rounds in which they discuss issues raised in and reflections on their fieldwork. Students are expected to regularly devote 12–16 hours per week, including both seminar and fieldwork, and to spend additional time as required by their matters. Both the fieldwork and seminar components in the fall semester and spring semester are separately graded on a letter basis.

Approved for the Experiential Learning Requirement. Enrollment is limited. Registration is binding. Application and interview are required, and the application can be found on the Office of Clinical and Experiential Learning section of the NYLS Portal.

Recommended for the following Professional Pathways: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties; Government/Public Sector; Corporate Transactions and Governance; General Practice – Transactional

Prerequisite or Co-requisite: Corporations

8 Credits: Full Year Course
Fall: 4 credits
Spring: 4 credits