The Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Law School, or IJ Clinic, is devoted to assisting lower income entrepreneurs with the legal intricacies of business ownership. A branch of the public interest law firm Institute for Justice, the IJ Clinic acts on the belief that legal tangles shouldn’t get in the way of inner city residents who dream of starting their own businesses. The IJ Clinic provides a range of legal services to its clients, including advice on structuring a business; research on regulatory controls and licensing requirements; drafting or reviewing contracts and leases; the design of employment practices; protection of intellectual property; and counsel on other transactional or regulatory matters. In addition, the IJ Clinic engages in advocacy for legislative reform on behalf of entrepreneurs.

PILI Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the IJ Clinic’s general practice, from interviewing a potential client, to drafting an LLC operating agreement, to negotiating a storefront lease, to advising a client on the protectibility of the business’s name. Fellows may also get involved in efforts to analyze and re-draft regulations that hinder many entrepreneurs. Fellows will be given substantive work to complete and will enjoy a great deal of contact with our clients. Fellows will work under the supervision of the two IJ Clinic attorneys.

This agency is approved to host Graduate Fellows.