Left to right: Gilad Stitz (3L), Travis Dech (3L), Vlasta Shevchenko (first-year Asper student), Yuliana Tepliakova (first-year Asper student), Vanessa Smith (3L), and Serena Bevilacqua (3L).
Business Law pop-up clinic brings law, business students together
Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship's "In Front of the Centre" event fosters student peer collaboration during UM Entrepreneurship and Innovative Thinking Month
On November 5, 2025, the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic collaborated with the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship to bring a Legal *Pop-Up* Clinic to the Asper School of Business, to deliver legal education directly to student entrepreneurs on campus, as part of a joint kick-off UM Entrepreneurship and Innovative Thinking Month.
Law student JD Candidates 2026 David Jung (3L), Gilad Stitz (3L), Jessie Canard (3L), Paul Chorney (3L), Serena Bevilacqua (3L), Travis Dech (3L), and Vanessa Smith (3L) spent the day engaging with Asper business students to share information about how to access free legal services offered by the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic. The *pop-up* initiative, now in its second year, saw even higher turnout than last year, with a steady flow of students stopping by to learn about the Clinic’s free business-law services, many for the very first time.
Boxes of Timbits helped spark conversations, and as law student Travis Dech noted the importance of making legal information accessible for new entrepreneurs, he added with a smile, “You can put a price on Timbits, but you can’t put a price on free legal advice.”
Law students also provided information about how to register for a free Webinar that the L. Kerry Vickat Business Law Clinic was delivering the same week as part of the Stu Clark Webinar series entitled Startup Law 2.0: Law for Entrepreneurs.
Throughout the day, business students stopped by to learn how the Clinic can help entrepreneurs and business owners of all experience levels navigate common legal questions related to business structures, contracts, intellectual property (IP), and other business-law matters.
A significant theme throughout the afternoon was IP, an area in which many students are eager to understand but rarely have accessible opportunities to explore. Students asked questions about protecting business names, copyright, navigating trademark applications, ownership issues in group projects, and what happens when an idea is pitched publicly as well as how to protect ideas.
Serena Bevilacqua noted that many attendees were surprised that IP protection is relevant even at the early stages of entrepreneurship, long before a business is fully formed.
One Asper student remarked, “I didn’t even know there was a business law clinic available to help me for free with my business idea.” Others echoed this reaction, noting they had assumed legal guidance was too expensive or inaccessible for students or early-stage founders.
The law student Clinicians were quick to inform student entrepreneurs that their access to free legal assistance through the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic does not have to be limited to the duration of their studies, as many who visited were surprised to learn that the pro bono services are available to all Manitoban businesspeople, even well after graduation.
Summing up the day, law student and Asper grad, Gilad Stitz, noted that getting out of the classroom was well worth it, as “It is always a pleasure getting to speak one-on-one with Manitoba’s future business leaders.”
The *Pop-up* Clinic collaboration reflects the successful partnership between the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic and the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship who share the goal to strengthen support for entrepreneurs and student-led innovation at the University of Manitoba. By connecting and bringing law students with business students together, the event encouraged interdepartmental collaboration and interdisciplinary learning while giving future entrepreneurs the opportunity to better understand the legal considerations that can impact their ideas and ventures, and how to access affordable legal services.
The L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic is currently operated by 11 third-year law students and 3 second-year research assistants, that are all dedicated to providing free legal services to small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, innovators, non-profits, charities, and arts, cultural, and community organizations across Manitoba who do not have a lawyer and cannot afford legal assistance.
Entrepreneurs, business organizations, start-ups, and individuals seeking legal assistance anywhere in Manitoba can fill out an online intake form to access free legal support.