UC Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic launches in January

Small businesses and nonprofits in Cincinnati will soon have access to free legal help.The University of Cincinnati in January is set to launch an Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic, as part of UC’s College of Law. The clinic will be staffed by a handful of third-year University law school students who will be gaining college credit for their work. The clinic will offer free legal services to small and startup businesses as well as area non-profits.Lewis Goldfarb, the new director of the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic, is a former accountant and licensed Ohio CPA. Before coming to UC, he was in-house counsel for Honda of America Manufacturing.Goldfarb is excited about clinic’s potential to work with the local business and nonprofit community. It will be the only service of its kind in the region, Goldfarb said.”There are a lot of small nonprofits that provide good community services, and don’t have big budgets. We can provide legal services to those nonprofits to help them with that work,” Goldfarb said.The clinic can help clients chose the best legal entity for their business or nonprofit, help them form the entity, review and negotiate leases and other contracts and help with trademark and copyright work, Goldfarb said.The clinic, which will initially be staffed by four to six students, is a win-win for students and businesses.”Students get valuable experience and the clients and aspiring entrepreneurs, with limited means, will get critical legal needs met for free,” he said, adding. “Hopefully this will help businesses and will revitalize certain (economically struggling) neighborhoods.”Goldfarb is reaching out to area startup incubators and working with local media to spread the word about the clinic and its services.Those interested in the clinic’s services can reach Goldfarb at (513) 556-1092 or by email at goldfals@UCMAIL.UC.EDU.Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Lewis Goldfarb, director of UCs Entrepreneurship and Community Development ClinicYou can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites