Max’s small business team received a lengthy contract from a Fortune 500 company and was unsure of how to respond, needing legal guidance. The City Bar Justice Center’s Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (NELP) matched Max with a pro bono attorney who helped Max negotiate the contract and close the deal. When Max received an agreement request from another large company, their volunteer attorney generously wrote the agreement from scratch.

“Before coming to NELP, I was a medical researcher at Columbia University,” Max told CBJC. “I had a dream of starting a business from my research, but it was just a concept and I didn’t have the funds to make it happen. NELP helped me get started and transform my research into real world impact.”

Since beginning to work with NELP, this client has received several innovation awards, funding from investors, and a place in a prestigious incubator program. Max goes on to say: “This is a phenomenal program. Early stage start ups often can’t afford the sound legal advice they need to get off the ground. NELP increases the chances of good start-ups surviving. Thank you so much for running this program.”