MIT, BU Law School Team Up To Give Entrepreneurs Legal Help
The Boston University School of Law has taken advantage of its geographic location among other higher education institutions to introduce an innovative new program to educate future lawyers. Jumping on the startup buzz, the school announced a program of free legal clinics to MIT and BU student entrepreneurs.
All signs indicate this is a win-win for both institutions. MIT’s President, L. Rafael Reif, in a statement from the school’s website that was reported by Boston Business Journal, touted the program. “By providing our students with the legal guidance to navigate the complexities of starting or running a business, the clinics will give them the freedom and confidence to focus on what they do best: creating innovative ideas, technologies and companies.”
In a release from the school, BU Law Dean Maureen A. O’Rourke said, “We’re thrilled to partner with MIT on these cutting-edge new law clinics. Our Intellectual Property Program has long been recognized as one of the best in the country, and this addition will give students the kind of practical, hands-on experience working with real clients that will prove invaluable as they begin their careers.”
The clinic, slated to begin this fall, will give eight law students the opportunity to work for two semesters with MIT and BU students who are getting ready to start a company or have already started one. The students will advise the student entrepreneurs on everything from intellectual property contracts to negotiations with other companies to registration of trademarks and copyrights.
Eve Brown, a BU Law professor, will advise the students in the clinic, which will be dubbed the Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Clinic. Another clinic, called the Technology and Cyberlaw Clinic, will begin next near.
The benefits for the law students are also fairly obvious. Students will learn what it’s like to start a company and learn more about the business side of a startup while making connections with students doing very innovative things. All the while, they will be gaining skills that will most assuredly be attractive to future employers.
Source: Boston Business Journal
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