A dean's life - USC Gould School of Law - University of Southern ...

6NewsMagazineSpring 2008New clinic provides legaladvice to local entrepreneursOpen for businessMichael Chasalow (bottom right) with studentsWhen Jane Yuan decided to launch a shoe importbusiness, she didn’t know where to begin.Incorporation, business registration and selectinga business structure were as foreign as the shoesshe planned to sell.Yuan turned to the new USC Small Business Clinic for help.Staffed by law students under the direction of Professor MichaelChasalow, the clinic is designed to advise entrepreneurs, likeYuan, on issues ranging from contracts and general businessagreements to trademarks or unforeseen legal problems.And all for free.“I went on a very interesting journey,” Yuan says. “I knew Iwanted to start this business, but I had no idea how to incorporateor go through all the legal hoops required to make this real.”After learning the ins and outs of launching her enterprise,however, Yuan said a streak of bad luck made it impossible to continueher venture. But she continues to seek help from the clinic.“My importer is moving to another country, and I just can’ttake the risk of moving forward,” Yuan says. “The economyhasn’t helped, either. Now I need to find out from the SmallBusiness Clinic what I need to do to shut down the businessas far as taxes, my incorporation and my legal obligations.“When I’m ready to start another venture, I’ll definitelybe calling the clinic for help. They offer an incredible servicefor entrepreneurs.”Michael Chasalow, a business law professor and consultant to avariety of start-up companies, said the clinic is designed to providesecond and third-year law studentswith real-life experience while helpingbusiness owners ward off futureproblems and lawsuits.“The goal is to prepare law studentsfor the business world,” saidChasalow, who has taught at USC LawClient Rio Saken with day campattendees and personnel.for nearly a decade. “Working at this clinic will give future transactionallawyers a leg up. The Small Business Clinic is a safe place forstudents to hone their skills.“When you get your first assignments in a law firm and youdon’t know what you’re doing, it can be overwhelming. You don’twant to confess your ignorance. This is a place where you can askquestions and get training without fear, so when you go out into thereal world, you have had some very valuable practical experience.”In addition to Yuan, Chasalow and his students are helpinglocal entrepreneurs with businesses that offer a variety of services,from tutoring to home theater installation.Rio Saken, who runs a sports summer day camp in LosAngeles, recently turned to the Small Business Clinic for advicein opening another camp. Because he wanted to keep the twocamps as separate entities, he asked the clinic to help him incorporatehis new venture.“It was really easy working with the law students,” Sakensays. “They kept me in the loop, and it was a great process.”Four law students worked in the clinic last fall, and eightstudents are working this spring.The Small Business Clinic is one of seven clinical programs atUSC Law that combine classroom exercises with client representation.Others focus on intellectual property, post-conviction justice,children’s legal issues, employment law for nonprofits, mediationand immigration.For more information on the Small BusinessClinic and other USC Law clinical programs, visithttp://lawweb.usc.edu/academics/clinical.cfm.— Gilien Silsby