Recap of Pace SBDC workshops with NELP

Over the past several weeks, the Pace University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) has partnered with the City Bar Justice Center’s Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (NELP) to host three legal-themed workshops to help small businesses grow and launch their operations. “Intellectual Property Rights for Entrepreneurs”, was led by an attorney from Bloomberg LP, whose presentation focused on helping entrepreneurs to navigate the intricacies of intellectual property law to better protect their ideas and small business concepts. During the presentation, the importance of trademarks, copyrights and patents were explained as well as the benefits, challenges and costs of each.

The second workshop, “Business Entity Formation”, led by NELP’s Project Director and Pro Bono Scholar, offered entrepreneurs key insights into the various businesses structure options and their respective benefits and tax implications. The third workshop, “Commercial Lease Negotiations”’ was held during National Small Business Week and was led by an attorney from Winston & Strawn LLP. This workshop provided an in-depth understanding of key terms and factors to consider when entering into a commercial lease and also provided useful tips for entrepreneurs on conducting research before deciding on a space.