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The ECDC provides students with a unique opportunity to develop business law and problem-solving skills while representing small businesses, social enterprises, artists, nonprofit organizations, and community groups in Texas. See our clinic website for examples of prior clients.
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Through hands-on interactions, ECDC students assist their clients with a broad variety of transactional matters, including:
- making choice of entity decisions
- forming for-profit and nonprofit entities
- drafting and reviewing contracts
- applying to the IRS for tax-exempt status
- providing legal advice to nonprofit boards of directors and staff
- drafting and reviewing real estate documents
- assisting with intellectual property matters, including filing trademark applications
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ECDC students build their transactional lawyering skills through representing clinic clients, weekly seminar and case rounds classes, and regular team meetings with their clinic supervisor. Skills emphasized include:
- interviewing and counseling clients
- contract drafting
- public speaking
- case management
- legal research
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Through community tours, classes, and cases, clinic students learn about Austin’s community development challenges and how they as attorneys can use their transactional lawyering skillset to make an impact in their communities.
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The Clinic class meets on Monday afternoons 2:30-4:30 pm. There is a mandatory orientation class on the first Friday of the semester, 1:00-4:30 pm, and three Monday classes will run until 5:30. The Clinic is a significant time commitment. Each clinic team typically represents two clients, and students are expected to devote an average of 13-14 hours a week on casework, along with an additional 4-5 hours for class time and assignments.