The Program
The LEC is a clinical program at Marquette University Law School. It operates as an independent law office staffed by LEC Director Nathan Hammons and law students. Participating students earn academic credit as they counsel entrepreneurial clients under the close supervision of the clinic director, and they also work with volunteer attorneys in the private bar.
The LEC has a three-part mission:
- To provide law students with rigorous, practical training in transactional law.
- To provide excellent legal services to entrepreneurs who lack access to the traditional legal marketplace.
- To contribute to human and economic flourishing in southeastern Wisconsin.
Clinic Services
The LEC serves entrepreneurs creating new businesses in southeastern Wisconsin, with a focus on clients who can't afford qualified legal counsel. Clients must have a well-developed plan to start, or have recently started, a new business with potential to help the local economy. Clients also must be a good educational fit for the clinic.
The LEC counsels clients in many key legal areas, including:
- business entity selection and formation
- corporate governance
- funding/financing
- business contracts
- employment law
- business licenses and permits
- trademark, copyright, and other basic intellectual property matters
- commercial leases
The LEC does not handle litigation, and it refers businesses needing help with patents to other resource providers.
Applying for Services
Entrepreneurs interested in receiving the LEC's services should submit a Request for Pro Bono Legal Help.
BUILD Website for Neighborhood Entrepreneurs
Through a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, the LEC created BUILD, a site with free legal information and basic forms for neighborhood entrepreneurs in Wisconsin. The LEC encourages entrepreneurs and small business attorneys in Wisconsin to use the site.
Law Students
The LEC is part of the “Clinics, Judicial Internships and Supervised Fieldwork Programs” segment of the curriculum at Marquette University Law School. If you are a law student interested in participating in the LEC, please complete and submit an omnibus application form to the Director of Clinical Education, accessible here.