Inside the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic

In this inaugural episode of Inside the Clinical Law Program, we sit down with Professor Jeannine Lemker and third-year J.D. student Trey Herron to explore the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic at the University of Washington School of Law. They share insights into how the clinic supports startups, small businesses and innovators, while giving law students hands-on experience serving real clients. Tune in to learn how the program blends practical training with community impact, preparing the next generation of lawyers to navigate the evolving world of entrepreneurship.

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Annie Kuo Becker (AKB): Today, we're going to have a spotlight, the first of several series on our clinical law program. The two here represent the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic. Jeannine, would you start us off by telling us a bit about the clinic and what it does?

Jeannine Lemker (JL): Absolutely, and thank you again, Annie, for having us today. The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic is one of the most innovative here at the law school and on campus. We get the privilege of representing startups and nonprofits and small businesses in the greater Pacific Northwest and west coast community to help them enable the next phase of what they hope to bring to the world in innovation, product design and development. Our third-year students get hands on experience working directly with clients, representing them from the start of an engagement all the way through producing corporate and intellectual property guidance and work product that, again, helps launch businesses into the world.

AKB: So, what makes law students, like Trey here, a successful applicant to the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic?

JL: Well, in the law clinic, I think we are fortunate to have so many wonderful students who are interested in corporate and intellectual property law. We are one of the few that do not do litigation or any dispute resolution work. And so students who are studying to be in corporate or M&A or intellectual property protections that will be their practice as they graduate are most fit for the ELC in particular.

In addition, we focus on the 3L experience so that these students coming in have a wonderful level of exposure to classroom work in the areas that they will be practicing with their clients. And then an interest — a genuine interest — in seeing young companies thrive and innovate in the world.

AKB: Thanks, Jeannine. Could you tell us more about some of the specific clients that the students within the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic serve, and what makes this particular clinic unique among others of its kind in the country?

JL: Absolutely. Since inception, we have been privileged to represent over 425 clients that are working across the various areas we discussed. Today, we have the privilege of working with clients that are in our medical centers and searching for healthcare and life sciences solutions. We've worked for companies that are inventing new models of manufacturing, some that are right here in the law school, building foundations and peer review organizations as well as UW athletics organizations.

So, it really is a diverse, kind of, set of both innovations bringing to life, as well as with that legal problems that students get to solve. In terms of the student experience, luckily, they are all eligible to participate as legal interns in our Washington State Bar Association Rule 9 program, but likewise, get the same privilege of applying for limited license to practice at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which makes that a unique experience from other clinics here in the building, and aligns really nicely to the intellectual property guidance that many of our clients are looking for.

AKB: I have some questions for Trey, if we can move over to Trey now. Thank you, Jeannine. What type of work did you do in the clinic that helped advance your legal education?

Trey Herron (TH): I think some of the most important parts about the clinic was the ability to apply the legal principles that we've learned in other classes. Kind of what Jeannie was saying. One common issue we have amongst clients is entity selection. So, instead of, kind of, being in the academic vacuum of business organizations, we're applying the principles we’ve learned in those classes to someone's story in their business, and helping walk through all the steps with them. Another common issue is IP protection. So, instead of being in a trademark class or copyright class and learning just from case law, we're taking what they need protected, what conflicts they have with other parties and budgetary constraints, and presenting them with a plan that's tailored to them, rather than just to an exam answer.

AKB: And so what surprised you the most about your experience so far?

TH: I think the most surprising thing has been the level of responsibility and autonomy. As students, we're responsible for the client relationship. We're responsible for planning and leading the calls with the clients, and with that responsibility comes a lot of problem solving. So, when things don't go to plan — the client introduces a new wrinkle to the problem — we have to adapt, and we do have fantastic attorney advisors who are there for backup, but the bulk of the responsibility and problem solving does land on our shoulders, which I think is a great opportunity.

AKB: Right, just like it will be in the real world. What would you tell a prospective student about this clinic?

TH: I would want to tell a student that the clinic isn't just an academically enriching experience, but also rewarding. The work that we do is pro bono for clients, so the clients are super appreciative of the work we're doing, and I think it gives an opportunity to give you a different perspective, where we're kind of in a law school bubble, where everyone knows the law in a certain way, and be able to explain that to someone and have them be receptive and appreciative is super nice. And also, I think, we have a great group of students in the clinic, so while we're doing all this work, we're also having a good amount of fun at the same time.

AKB: We want to make sure that you're having some fun in law school while you're learning, which is a great hallmark of our experiential learning program. Thank you both Professor Lemker and Trey for joining us to shed a little light on what it's like to be here inside Gates Hall working within the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic. Thank you both.

JL: Thank you.

TH: Thank you.