Law Center News
SULC Tech Partners with UNO’s Urban Entrepreneurship & Policy Institute to Expand Access to Legal Guidance for Louisiana Entrepreneurs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2026
For media inquiries, contact:
I’Tyonnie Jackson, Director of Communications and External Affairs
225-278-1332
SULC Tech Partners with UNO’s Urban Entrepreneurship & Policy Institute to Expand Access to Legal Guidance for Louisiana Entrepreneurs
Baton Rouge, La. – The Southern University Law Center Technology and Entrepreneurship Clinic (SULC Tech), in partnership with the University of New Orleans’ Urban Entrepreneurship and Policy Institute, is expanding access to legal guidance for Louisiana entrepreneurs through its Open Clinic Days, a series of educational legal consultation events designed to connect small business owners and entrepreneurs with attorneys and student attorneys.
SULC Tech conducted three Open Clinic Day events across Louisiana. The first clinic was held in Baton Rouge on May 8, followed by events in New Orleans on May 22 and June 12. Together, these clinics provided educational legal consultations to nearly 30 small businesses and entrepreneurs representing a variety of industries and stages of development.
The clinics offered an opportunity to meet one-on-one with legal professionals, seeking advice and guidance on a wide range of issues affecting small businesses. Consultation topics ranged from business formation and entity selection to intellectual property protection, contracts, and growth strategies.
For many participants, the clinics provided access to legal guidance that might otherwise be difficult to obtain during the critical early stages of building a business. One Baton Rouge participant highlighted the importance of making legal services more accessible to entrepreneurs: “Most attorneys start at $250/hour. As a small business, that’s a lot. We need legal help, but often struggle with decisions on where to spend our money. Most attorneys are called after the fact or after a lawsuit is filed. It is reassuring to know that support is available for small businesses like me. I am truly thankful and appreciate all the hard work the clinic has done for owners like me. The impact is greater than you think. Please continue to host these clinics.”
The feedback reflected a challenge that many small business owners face. Entrepreneurs are often forced to make important decisions about their businesses long before they have the resources to hire an attorney. As a result, legal questions frequently go unanswered until a problem surfaces or an opportunity has already been missed. The Open Clinic Days were designed to provide a space where business owners could ask questions, learn about potential issues, and better understand the legal considerations that come with starting and growing a business.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of our Open Clinic Days is seeing the immediate impact that a single conversation can have on a small business owner,” said Marina Biragova, Executive Director and Supervising Attorney of the SULC Tech Clinic. “Many entrepreneurs spend months, or even years, building their ideas without ever having the opportunity to sit down with an attorney and ask questions.
The New Orleans clinics also highlighted the importance of expanding these services beyond Baton Rouge.
“We are excited to partner with SULC’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Clinic to offer this opportunity to entrepreneurs in the greater New Orleans community,” said Chris Surprenant, Director of UNO’s Urban Entrepreneurship & Policy Institute. “While each business had its own unique goals and challenges, many participants raised similar concerns about access to reliable legal information and the difficulty of navigating complex legal and regulatory issues without professional guidance.”
One New Orleans participant described the challenge facing many entrepreneurs: “The industry requires us to know what we don’t know, making us vulnerable to schemes and to our own errors and mistakes.”
Another participant emphasized the value of receiving guidance directly from attorneys, particularly during the early stages of building a business: “There is only so much information you can find on the internet. The validity can be questionable too. Also, it may not be economically feasible for some small business owners or aspiring entrepreneurs to hire an attorney to assist right away.”
Beyond serving the community, the Open Clinic Days also provided an unparalleled experiential learning opportunity for Southern University Law Center students. Student attorneys had the opportunity to work directly with entrepreneurs representing a wide variety of industries and business models while observing and participating in consultations under attorney supervision.
“For law students interested in transactional practice, there is simply no substitute for sitting across from a business owner and hearing firsthand about the challenges they are facing,” said Shane McGriff, Student Attorney and Research Assistant with the SULC Technology and Entrepreneurship Clinic. “The Open Clinic Days exposed us to a remarkable variety of businesses and legal issues. Being able to participate in consultations alongside supervising attorneys allowed me to see how legal concepts we learn in the classroom are applied in practice and reinforced the importance of making legal services more accessible to entrepreneurs.”
SULC Tech remains committed to growing its partnerships and strengthening Louisiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by expanding access to legal education and resources while preparing the next generation of transactional attorneys to serve businesses and communities throughout the state.
The clinic also wishes to recognize the outstanding hospitality and logistical support provided by the Southern University at New Orleans College of Business and its Small Business Development and Management Institute. Special thanks are extended to Shaddai Livingston, Director of the Small Business Development and Management Institute, whose leadership and dedication helped make the New Orleans clinic events possible.
If you are interested in participating in future Open Clinic events during the upcoming fall semester, please contact us at info@sulctech.org for additional information.
RSS News Feed