Good Counsel: Free Legal Help for Small Businesses

Building a business is not easy. Entrepreneurs pour their time and resources into making a fledgling business a success. And sometimes, they must cut corners. Too often, they skimp on legal services, which can lead to bigger problems as their business grows. 

The Entrepreneurial Law Project here at the U of A aims to help small businesses across the state with their legal needs. In the latest Short Talks from the Hill podcast, Rachel Sullivant, managing director of the Entrepreneurial Law Project, and law professor Will Foster explain how building small businesses helps the entire state of Arkansas. 

“They have a job that they're doing. They're trying to build out their business. All of their resources are going towards getting that thing built, towards developing the product. And legal is oftentimes the last thing that people have extra funds to deploy towards,” Sullivant said. 

The program, a joint project of the School of Law and our Office of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, holds free legal “checkups” in Fayetteville, at locations across the state and online. At the pro-bono check-ups, law students and volunteer lawyers help small businesses understand their legal needs. 

To learn more about the Entrepreneurial Law Project, visit ELP.uark.edu. 

Short Talks from the Hill is now available wherever you get your podcasts. For more information and additional podcasts, visit ArkansasResearch.UArk.edu, the home of research and economic impact news here at the U of A. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy  through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.