RALEIGH – Campbell Law School will launch the Hutchens Business Law Clinic in this fall, Dean J. Rich Leonard has announced.
“Thanks to a very generous donation from the Hutchens Law Firm in Fayetteville, Campbell Law will revive its Business Law Clinic this fall semester under the direction of Benji Jones, who ran the previous iteration of the clinic,” Leonard explained. “Raleigh remains one of top innovation hubs in the country and this expansion of our school’s experiential learning program is intended to give back and foster the vibrant North Carolina entrepreneurial community.”
The Hutchens Business Law Clinic – in partnership with incubator Raleigh Founded – works with clients across the area’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to help them solve real-world business and legal problems. The clinic is located at 509 West North St. in downtown Raleigh. There will be a formal ceremony celebrating the clinic’s launch on Aug. 7.
Jones, the clinic director who works with Smith Anderson, has more than 20 years of experience as a corporate transactional attorney, representing both public and private companies on a wide range of legal matters. Her extensive experience in U.S. securities law spans from guiding start-ups and growth companies through early-stage financing, such as crowdfunding campaigns, to advising on complex M&A transactions, venture-driven capital raises and public company offerings and reporting compliance. Her experience also extends to corporate formation and governance, where she helps companies establish sound structures and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. She was a founding member of xElle Ventures, an early-stage Angel Network for women founders by women founders, executives and investors.
The clinic provides legal services at no cost by upper-level law students, under the supervision of a veteran licensed business attorney, who sees the clinic’s mission as helping early stage companies navigate to the next growth stage.
Launched in December 2019, the startup counsel program helps bridge classroom learning and the hands-on practicing of law with Campbell Law students weighing on client legal issues such as business entity formation, employee/contractor documentation, equity compensation plans and awards, commercial agreements such as NDAs and vendor agreements as well as other operational topics.
The clinic operates on a semester-based system (generally mid-August through late November and early January through late April). The clinic is dark during summer and vacation months. Applications may not be immediately processed.
To learn more or to submit an application, visit this link.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law celebrated 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.