As one of Nebraska Law’s clinical programs, the Weibling Entrepreneurship Clinic serves as a capstone experience for law students interested in the practice of transactional law. Students will have all the responsibilities incumbent upon attorneys in a small law firm practice, which includes direct client advice and communications, legal research and writing, management of multiple clients and legal matters, and active engagement in the entrepreneurship community.
Students will be responsible for performing legal work for multiple clients, each with different characteristics and legal needs. Although this will feel like a substantial challenge to most students, they will be supervised and well-supported at every step:
- Students will participate in an intensive “boot camp” orientation program during the first two weeks of the semester to help them develop key skills in advance of meeting with clients.
- Students will work closely with Professor Stohs to ensure that their research and legal conclusions are sound, and that any client deliverables are clear, concise, and client-friendly.
- Students will meet weekly with their colleagues to discuss their experiences and reflect on what they have learned about themselves as professionals. Students will also meet frequently with Professor Stohs to discuss their work product and explore their experiences as practicing lawyers.
- Students will deliver a presentation on a legal topic of their choosing to a segment of the Nebraska entrepreneurship community. For examples of past presentations, please visit the “Outreach” link above.
For more information about the types of legal work students will perform in the Clinic, please visit the Clients section of our website. In addition, this short video provides a snapshot about two former students and one of their Clinic clients.
For more information about overall expectations and learning goals, please review a sample Clinic syllabus available at the link below. Each student should expect to grow and develop as a professional during their semester in the Clinic. Recent data suggests that Clinic students do indeed develop their professional identities through participation in the Clinic. For details, please review Professor Stohs’s recent study of professional identity development of Clinic students.
Because Clinic matters involve actual clients, Clinic students’ experiences will not be uniform. To leverage the opportunities that present themselves each semester, Professor Stohs utilizes a number of tools and techniques to help each Clinic student craft a personalized set of expectations to maximize their engagement in the Clinic and optimize their learning experience. Professor Stohs wrote about his methodologies in “Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave: Mind Mapping as Creative Spark to Optimize Transactional Clinic Assignments”.
The Weibling Entrepreneurship Clinic is a 6 credit hour course. Students must be of senior standing (i.e., 3rd year), and have previously completed Business Associations and Legal Profession. To be considered for enrollment in the E-Clinic, students must apply in connection with the Law College clinic application process. Details about the application will be circulated to all 2L students during the Spring semester.
Sample Syllabus Sample Calendar Develop Your Professional Identity Mind Mapping to Optimize Assignments
Preston J. Peterson
Class of 2015 | KEARNEY, NE
ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY, THE LAW OFFICE OF MARK L. EUREK, PC
The Entrepreneurship Clinic is a major reason why I chose to attend the UNL College of Law, and it did not disappoint. As a new associate, I feel better prepared to take on the day to day challenges of building my practice in Nebraska because of my experience at the Entrepreneurship Clinic. I am able to work with clients, develop rapport, and provide competent legal services. I can do these things today because of the foundation that I laid while in the Entrepreneurship Clinic. The ability to get hands on experience while under the guidance of Prof. Stohs was one of the most valuable aspects of my legal education.