This is a full-year clinic offered for 10 credits, and students will receive separate letter grades at the end of the year for the seminar (4 credits) and the clinic work (6 credits). The clinic is open to both day and evening students in their last two (2) years of law school and Accelerated JD students in their last year. The Transactional Clinic is a community economic development clinic that provides legal services to small businesses and nonprofit clients in the Greater Boston area. Students will have the opportunity to counsel clients on a range of transactional law matters, including business entity formation, nonprofit formations and applications for tax-exempt status, and contract drafting and negotiation. Students can expect to gain hands-on experience in conducting interviews, drafting transactional documents, oral advocacy, and legal research and writing. Students may also work on a range of legislative and advocacy projects that will include collaborations with, and presentations to, community organizations and lawmakers.
The types of clients in the clinic vary, but usually include worker cooperatives, community land trusts, grassroots organizations, nonprofit organizations and social entrepreneurs from immigrant communities and communities of color. The clinic is appropriate for students interested in any practice of law, but may be of particular interest to students who want to work with community-based organizational clients and/or are interested in alternative economic structures.
Time commitment
The clinic includes a two-hour per week seminar. The seminar will focus on preparation for direct client representation and discussions on community economic development theory and practice. The case work in the Transactional Clinic requires a minimum of 13 hours per week outside of class and supervision meetings. Depending on the needs of clients, students may have client meetings and presentations in the evenings and on weekends.
A student must have successfully completed or be concurrently enrolled in Evidence in order to qualify for certification under Supreme Judicial Court's Student Practice Rule 3:03. There are no other prerequisites or corequisites to the Transactional Clinic, although Business Entity Fundamentals (prior to or concurrently with the Clinic) is recommended.
Preference may be given to students fluent in relevant languages other than English (particularly Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and Cantonese). Diverse student backgrounds and experiences are welcome, including experience in community organizing, nonprofits, small business, social enterprise, urban planning, and tax.
If you have any questions, please contact Professor Carlos Teuscher at [email protected].