Poster for the Startup Law 2.0: Law for Entrepreneurs webinar presented by students working in the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic externship at the Faculty of Law.
Law students deliver Stu Clark webinar on business startup law for entrepreneurs
Interdisciplinary collaboration ignites entrepreneurial mindset during Entrepreneurship and Innovative Thinking Month
On November 7, 2024, law students from the Faculty of Law’s L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic, Travis Dech (3L) [BA/23], Sparsh Kohli (3L) [BSc./22 U Western Ontario], and Gilad Stitz (3L) [B. Comm. (Hons.)/23], hosted a webinar in collaboration with the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship entitled Startup Law 2.0: Law for Entrepreneurs.
Startup Law 2.0 – Legal Highlights for Entrepreneurs
This webinar explored critical topics, including the differences between various business structures, related to capital raising, taxation, contracts, and the various forms of intellectual property. Webinar attendees were provided with the foundational knowledge needed to protect a new venture and confidently enter into various business agreements. The L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic and the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship provide entrepreneurs with valuable opportunities to deepen their understanding of the essential aspects of successfully running and growing a business.
This year’s Start-up Law 2.0 presentation built on an earlier Start-up Law 1.0 Webinar presented last year and focused more heavily on forming a deeper understanding of the implications of various business structures on running a business and the importance contractual agreements, such as non-disclosure agreements and service contracts, as well as understanding the ins and outs of protecting their work through trademark, copyright, or patent.
“Contracts are an integral part of any successful start-up,” said Kohli of his portion of the presentation. “It’s so important that founders know the ins and outs of a valid agreement. Our discussion of NDAs and founder agreements serves to illustrate how the terms of an agreement can affect enforceability, and why it’s important to review contracts carefully before signing.”
The Clinic felt it was crucial also to cover the different types of intellectual property, explore relevant legislation, and clarify the rights and protections these laws offer. Intellectual property is more critical than ever in today’s business landscape, as entrepreneurs must safeguard their innovations and creations.
“Understanding intellectual property is vital for startups that are looking to protect their innovative ideas,” said Stitz, an Asper grad and current law student working at the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic. “Our goal was to lay the foundation, so entrepreneurs begin to think of these important concepts early on in their business journey to ensure success that endures long after entrepreneurs start their business.”
Startup Law 2.0: Law for Entrepreneurs discussed many detailed aspects of business structures, how each of them can contract and enter agreements like NDAs and service contracts, and what steps to take to ensure those contracts are executed properly so that there are concrete methods of enforcement.
Travis Dech said of the webinar, “Providing entrepreneurs with free legal information in this fashion is one of the ways we can work to increase access to affordable legal services across Manitoba. More than that, providing detailed information on business structures will hopefully allow our attendees and any future viewers to understand a few of the available tax benefits and capital raising implications that are attached to each business structure and what that could mean for their lives and their businesses.”
Debra Jonasson-Young, Executive Director of the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Asper School of Business, oversees the Stu Clark Centre’s strategic direction to foster entrepreneurial engagement among University of Manitoba students. She shared: “This webinar makes a big difference in the lives of so many people who are trying to understand the complexities on the legal front as they are setting up their businesses and working through various challenges on their entrepreneurial journeys.”
Free Online Information and Resources for Entrepreneurs
The webinar was recorded and will be an ongoing free resource along with other Stu Clark Webinars through the Stu Clark Centre Webinar Library and YouTube channel.
Plans for more community presentations are already in place, and the Clinic looks forward to continuing its collaboration with the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship and other organizations that are part of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Manitoba.
For more information about the L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic and free legal support and information, see: L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic – Helping Manitobans succeed
For more information about Manitoba’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, education and resources supported by the Stu Clark Centre, check out: Stu Clark Centre – Resource Hub | Asper School of Business | University of Manitoba