Entrepreneurial/ Transactional Clinic

The Entrepreneurial/Transactional Clinic provides legal services to non-profits and entrepreneurs.

Students enrolled in the Entrepreneurial/Transactional Clinic will provide legal assistance to business startups, entrepreneurs, and community nonprofit organizations to help them establish successful for profit and nonprofit enterprises. The clinic targets entrepreneurs and innovators located in underserved Des Moines neighborhoods who are not able to afford retained legal counsel.

While enrolled in the clinic, students will interview clients about specific ideas, needs, and plans. This fact-finding process will lead to a review of the various business entities that may be suited for the client’s needs. Students will provide advice to the client about choice of entities and draft the requisite organization documents.  Depending on the type of entity selected by the client, the student will create articles of incorporation and bylaws, or LLC certificates of organization and operating agreements.   

The student may also evaluate the client’s need for intellectual property protections and the available legal tools for that objective. In addition, the student also may furnish legal representation regarding common issues that confront small business owners, including employment agreements and policies, Sub-S elections, leases, purchase agreements, financing arrangements, buy-sell agreements, and independent contractor agreements.  

The Entrepreneurial/Transactional Clinic will afford students an opportunity to apply Iowa law and legal doctrines to real life situations – and develop practice skills for real deal-making situations that will confront them as practicing lawyers.

Requirements:
Prerequisite: Business Associations (LAW 204)

Faculty

Nick Roby, Director of the Entrepreneurial/Transactional Law Clinic and Clinical Professor of Law 
515-271-1808 nick.roby@drake.edu

 Information for prospective clients