Supporting Small Business
St. Louis is known for its thriving startup and small business scene. ECD Clinic students have the opportunity to assist entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses with transactional matters including choice of entity and formation, occupational licensing and permitting, employment matters, contract drafting and review, regulatory compliance issues, and legal research.
Make a Community Impact
ECD Clinic Clients seek to positively impact the St. Louis community in a variety of ways, including neighborhood revitalization, job creation, producing and preserving affordable housing, offering needed goods and services, and working to generate solutions to common community problems.
Real World Transactions
Students work directly with clients on a variety of matters. This work includes drafting organizational documents and contracts, providing counseling and compliance advice, performing research to address policy-related issues, and working on initiatives to address vacant and abandoned properties.
Collaborate with Community Policy Makers
The ECD Clinic works with advocates and community organizations to develop local and state policy solutions to advance entrepreneurship and community development in St. Louis and nationally.
Collaborating with community organizations
Each year the ECD Clinic collaborates with community organizations to help better the St. Louis region. Most recently, the clinic helped form a coalition with nearly a dozen nonprofits and community organizations to address the City of St. Louis’ vacancy issues. Students helped develop a resource guide for community stakeholders and routinely work with the coalition to strengthen neighborhoods.
Paving the Way for a better neighborhood
ECD Clinic students were also instrumental in negotiating contracts that brought dramatic street improvements to the Lewis Place neighborhood, just north of the Central West End, helping the neighborhood achieve a goal that had seemed elusive for many years.
A Lawyer's Role in small businesses
In this episode of our SLU LAW Summations podcast, Professor Dana Malkus talks about how the ECD Clinic works with local neighborhood entrepreneurs to support their small business goals.
Leaders in the field
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Dana Malkus is also the director of the ECD clinic. An alum of SLU LAW, Dean Malkus began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable E. Richard Webber of the United States Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and later moved into the private sector as an associate attorney with Lewis, Rice & Fingersh. She joined the faculty in 2009.
You May Also Like
Where do SLU LAW grads work?
From the courthouse to the courtroom, SLU LAW grads can be found everywhere.
What other courses can I take?
Beyond clinic offerings, students can take other practical skills courses.
