The PBEye
July 5, 2012
Last week, CPBO traveled to Palo Alto, Calif. to host a Clinic in a BoxSM program with the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC-SFBA), DLA Piper LLP (US)*†, and TMC Development Working Solutions. Thirty-three volunteers and eight small business clients participated . Volunteers attended a training session in the morning led by experts from DLA Piper and subsequently provided the small businesses with legal assistance.
The Clinic began with 90 minutes of training on legal issues affecting small businesses, including presentations on labor and employment, intellectual property, real estate, corporate, and tax law. Following the training session, ACC-SFBA members met with small business owners to conduct a legal audit of each business. Volunteers reviewed a questionnaire with their clients, which was developed by CPBO and modified by DLA Piper to reflect California laws.
The small businesses that participated in the Clinic operate out of the Bay Area and provide an array of services to their local communities. These businesses ranged from bakeries and boutiques to an early education provider. The volunteers and clients spoke highly of their experience with the Clinic. One participant noted, “It was nice to meet the lawyers. They all provided very informative material.”
To learn more about the Clinic in a BoxSM model, or to inquire about hosting a Clinic, contact Eve Runyon director of CPBO.
* denotes a Signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge®
† denotes a Member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project