Become a client

Application for Legal Assistance

Thank you for your interest in the Entrepreneurship and Community Business Clinic (ECBC) at Cardozo School of Law.

Please Read Before Applying

ECBC accepts and reviews applications for new clients only during January and August. Applications submitted at any other time will not be reviewed until the next January or August intake period. If you need legal assistance before then, particularly if you are facing a deadline or time-sensitive matter, you should seek legal assistance elsewhere.

Please do not submit confidential, privileged, sensitive, or proprietary information through this application. At this stage, we need only enough information to understand the general nature of your business or organization and the type of legal assistance you are seeking.

Submitting this application or otherwise communicating with ECBC does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not mean that ECBC has agreed to represent you. ECBC must review your application, complete any necessary conflict-of-interest review, determine whether your matter is appropriate for ECBC, and expressly agree to representation before an attorney-client relationship may be formed.

Unless and until ECBC agrees to represent you and a written engagement agreement is signed, ECBC is not your legal counsel and will not be responsible for protecting your legal rights, monitoring deadlines, making filings, or taking action on your behalf.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

Applicant Information

Your Name *:

Email *:

Phone Number *:

Are you a New York or California-based entrepreneur? *

New York

California

Other

Business or Organization Information

Business or Organization Name (optional):

Business or Organization Address (optional):

Business or Organization Website, if any (optional):

Describe your business or organization (What do you do? Who do you serve? What stage are you at?) *:

Has your business or organization already formed a legal entity? *

Yes

In progress

I am not sure

If yes, what type of entity is it and when and where was it formed? (optional):

Do you have a detailed business plan? *

Yes

In progress

Have you received significant outside funding or financing from investors? *

Yes

If yes, please briefly describe the funding or financing received (optional):

Legal Assistance Requested

Please describe the specific legal assistance you need *:

What steps, if any, have you already taken to address this legal matter? If none, please write "None." (optional):

Timing and Deadlines

Is there a deadline associated with the legal assistance you are requesting? *

Yes

I am not sure

If yes, what is the deadline and why does it apply? (optional):

Please note: ECBC is generally not appropriate for matters requiring immediate legal assistance or involving imminent deadlines. Because students perform legal work under faculty supervision as part of an educational program, ECBC must have sufficient time to research, review, and complete client matters.

Litigation and Disputes

Is your business or organization currently involved in a lawsuit, threatened lawsuit, or other significant legal dispute? *

Yes

If yes, please briefly describe the nature of the dispute. Do not provide confidential or privileged information. (optional):

ECBC does not represent clients in litigation.

Additional Information

Please identify the owners, founders, partners, directors, or other individuals who have a significant ownership or leadership role in the business or organization. (optional):

Is there anything else you believe would help us evaluate your application? (optional):

How did you hear about ECBC? (optional):

Applicant Acknowledgments

I certify that the information I have provided in this application is accurate to the best of my knowledge. *:

I understand that submitting this application or communicating with ECBC does not create an attorney-client relationship. *:

I understand that ECBC must review my application and complete any required conflict-of-interest review before agreeing to provide legal representation. *:

I understand that I should not submit confidential, privileged, sensitive, or proprietary information unless and until ECBC confirms that it has agreed to represent me and instructs me to provide that information. *:

I understand that applications are reviewed only in January and August, and that an application submitted outside those periods will not be reviewed until the next intake period. *:

I understand that submitting an application does not guarantee that ECBC will accept my matter. *:

Applicant Name *:

Date *: