Finishing its third year under the direction of Professor Evan Darryl Walton (above), the Community Business Clinic (CBC) at Northeastern Law has become a trusted legal resource for entrepreneurs and nonprofits in underserved communities across the region. Since its launch in Fall 2022, the clinic has advised 72 clients, including 33 for-profit businesses, 29 nonprofits, and 10 social enterprises, helping them navigate the legal complexities essential to starting, sustaining, and growing their ventures.

The CBC’s work reflects a commitment to advancing economic equity through transactional legal services. Clients receive support on matters such as entity formation, nonprofit tax exemption, contracts, employment, and intellectual property—services that are often financially out of reach for small and emerging enterprises.

This hands-on experience also provides an invaluable learning opportunity for law students, who work directly with clients under Professor Walton’s supervision. Students develop practical skills while making a tangible difference in communities that are frequently excluded from traditional legal support systems.

The clinic’s client base remains a testament to its commitment to equity. Over the past three years:

• 72.22% woman-owned or led
• 68.06% owned or led by at least one racial minority group
• 16.6% immigrant-owned or led
• 5.56% returning citizen-owned or led

As the CBC continues to grow, its mission remains clear: to support inclusive entrepreneurship, foster community development, and train the next generation of socially engaged legal professionals.

RECENT SUCCESSES

Here are a few examples of the real-world impact of the CBC, which has recently advised:

• a doula business on setting up strong governance practices and reviewed/revised existing subcontractor and client agreements to create templates
• an upstart fragrance and accessories company on entity formation and preparing for future employment hires
• a procurement consulting firm focused on environmental, supplier diversification, and governance initiatives on ownership considerations and contract review
• a tech platform connecting document writing/editing freelancers with clients on determining proper worker classification and website terms and conditions
• a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization supporting solutions for connecting communities on reviewing its employee handbook and advising on the legality of the employee benefits provided
• an arts and culture nonprofit organization on successfully filing as a state nonprofit corporation and applying for federal tax-exempt status
• a made-to-order specialty bakery on legal considerations involved with expanding the business into a physical location with additional food business concepts
• an online directory highlighting local businesses owned by and/or serving specific disadvantaged identity groups on entity formation and mitigating liabilities through website disclaimers
• a student startup using an AI-powered platform to reimagine the administrative workflows for medical practices on entity formation, governance and equity issuances.
• a budding lifestyle fitness LLC developing a portable supplements storage device on exiting a member-manager
• an organization focused on maintaining an urban park with nonprofit formation and tax exemption

CBC By the Numbers – 2022-2025 Academic Years

EVENT HIGHLIGHT

In April 2024, the CBC partnered with Northeastern University’s Office of City and Community Engagement to host a nonprofit legal clinic supporting organizations through the entity registration and tax exemption application processes.

Each participating organization was paired with a team of CBC students who worked with them throughout the semester, providing research and guidance on preparing formation and governance documents. The collaboration culminated in an in-person clinic day, where student teams and organizational representatives met to complete and submit registration materials or tax exemption applications.

INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHT

As part of its mission to expand access to legal knowledge and support for mission-driven enterprises, the Community Business Clinic (CBC) partnered with the Legal Food Hub to create a series of Question & Answer resources for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations. These plain-language resources were developed by CBC student teams to demystify complex legal issues and provide accessible guidance to help community-based organizations thrive.

In Summer 2024, eight CBC students created a three-part Contract Law Q&A Series, which included:

• What to Know About Entering into Contracts
•  Understanding and Negotiating Contract Terms
• How to Enforce Contracts and Seek Remedies

In Spring 2025, eight CBC students developed four Nonprofit Law Q&As, covering key compliance and operational topics:

• Nonprofit Tax Reporting Obligations: Understanding Federal and Massachusetts Tax Filing
• How To Avoid Losing Your Tax-Exempt Status
• Nonprofit Solicitation Requirements
• Fiscal Sponsorship

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

In 2025, the CBC plans to continue seeking opportunities for increased impact for our clients and the community. Beyond continuing our semester-long client representations, the CBC is working with Northeastern and community partners on special initiatives.

Projects on the Horizon Include:

• a community entrepreneur-focused business law webpage containing resources developed from CBC student client representations and its questions and answers resource development in partnership with Legal Food Hub. With proper support, the CBC aims to have the resources translated into commonly-spoken foreign language (Spanish, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, and Vietnamese)