Maine Law and UMaine Graduate School of Business launch new Business & Law Clinic to promote economic growth, prepare innovation workforce

PORTLAND, Maine - A new University of Maine System Business & Law Clinic (External Site) is growing Maine's workforce and economy by providing free support to startup and early-stage ventures while also training future entrepreneurs and attorneys.

The University of Maine School of Law (External Site), in partnership with the University of Maine Graduate School of Business (External Site), recently launched the new clinic, which is supported by and located at the Maine Center in downtown Portland.

In its inaugural semester, the pioneering clinic, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, enrolled eight law and graduate business students, who gained hands-on, practical experience by providing legal and business development services to more than a dozen emerging and expanding businesses across the state.

There is already a waiting list for the fall.

By removing the financial barriers that often prevent startups from seeking legal and business counsel, the clinic aims to support existing companies in Maine and accelerate the growth of new ventures.

Under the guidance of co-directors, Erin Cusenbary, a practicing attorney with extensive experience in transactional law with a focus on emerging companies, and Hugh Stevens, the entrepreneur in residence, students are learning to navigate the types of issues that new businesses often face, including business formation, contract drafting and growth strategies, while helping Maine entrepreneurs bring their ideas to the market and strengthen the state's economy.

"This clinic embodies Maine Law's mission to connect legal education to the real-world challenges and opportunities facing our state's communities and companies," said Maine Law Dean and President Leigh Saufley.

"More than teaching students how to draft a contract or structure a deal, this clinic prepares them to be leaders, problem-solvers, collaborators and trusted advisors in a rapidly evolving economic and legal landscape while giving small businesses and startups in Maine the support they need to grow, create jobs and drive further innovation. Our students learn by doing, our partners in business gain valuable support and our state's economy benefits from a new wave of innovative companies equipped to succeed."

The clinic is the result of a long-standing collaboration between Maine Law Professor and Director of the Business and Transactional Law Certificate Program Andrew Kaufman and UMaine Executive Dean of the Maine Business School and Dean of the Graduate School of Business Jason Harkins. Together, they envisioned a program that would break down traditional educational silos and foster cross-disciplinary thinking that directly addresses needs in the state.

"Research shows that new and small businesses are responsible for the majority of net new job creation," said UMaine Executive Dean Harkins. "By connecting these companies with high-caliber business and legal expertise at no cost, the Business & Law Clinic is a catalyst for economic growth and innovation in Maine. At the same time, it provides our students with unparalleled experiential learning opportunities that prepare them for impactful careers."

Maine Law Professor Kaufman noted that "the addition of the Business & Law Clinic to our curriculum adds a significant experiential element to our students' learning." He anticipates that the clinic will open students' eyes to the opportunities of a transactional law career and better prepare them for practice.

The clinic is made possible thanks to a historic investment from the Harold Alfond Foundation through UMS TRANSFORMS (External Site), a multi-year, System-wide initiative to strengthen the capacity of Maine's public universities to meet the state's higher education, workforce and economic development needs, including through the Maine Center.

It is part of the Clinics at Maine Law (External Site), through which students provide nearly 18,000 hours of pro bono legal services statewide each year, mostly civil legal aid to low-income individuals.

The Business & Law Clinic is accepting new clients who meet the clinic's requirements for need-based assistance, with an application available on Maine Law's website (External Site).

About the University of Maine System

The University of Maine System (UMS) is the state's largest driver of educational attainment and economic development and its seven public universities and law school are the most affordable in New England. Over the past two decades, UMS has awarded 106,362 degrees and spurred and strengthened thousands of small Maine businesses through its world-class research and development activities. For more information, visit https://www.maine.edu.

Media Contact:

Samantha WarrenChief External & Governmental Affairs Officer207-632-0389 / [email protected]