Clinic-Com Dev & Move Infras Clinic

The Community Development & Movement Infrastructure Clinic (CD-MIC) uses the tools of corporate and transactional law to support grassroots efforts to make New York-and the country, and the planet-more equitable, sustainable, and just. Students in CD-MIC represent group clients: non-profits, small cooperative businesses and social enterprises, and unincorporated associations. Some of these groups are startups. Students help these groups with questions around choice-of-entity and incorporation, corporate structure, corporate finance, tax exemption, and employment law. Other groups come to the clinic as existing entities, and students help these groups on projects that typically involve contract drafting and negotiation, real estate, or exempt-organization tax issues. The CD-MIC aims to provide clients with sophisticated transactional representation but also to do its work in keeping with our clients' visions and principles. Students are asked not only to understand relevant legal doctrine, but also to understand the sometimes-complicated relationships between that doctrine and our clients' worldviews and to develop practice skills in a context that demands both legal sophistication and an appreciation for the unique perspectives of our clients. The seminar component of the course will include discussions of relevant substantive laws and exercises to develop students' transactional lawyering skills.

Enrollment Notes:
Students enroll for one semester only but may enroll for a second semester with instructor permission.