From Seed
The idea for the clinic germinated for almost two years before launching, tended carefully by three students (two of whom have since graduated): Jade Cotie, JD ’24, Natasha Gosselin, JD ’24 and Zehra Irfan, 3L.
Early in February 2023, Cotie, Gosselin and Irfan jumped at an opportunity to join the Student-in-Residence program at uOttawa’s Entrepreneurship-Hub, or e-Hub. They were assigned to develop a proposal for a new law clinic that would serve the early-stage startup community in Ottawa.
Over the following months, they conducted extensive research, interviewed entrepreneurs and ultimately put together a proposal that outlined areas of service for what would become the uOttawa Startup Law Clinic.
In March 2024, the three presented an outline of the clinic, including the role of students, founders, and faculty, a definition of its key assets, and suggested topics for the clinic to focus on for its resource bank. The proposal was well received, and plans began to launch the clinic in the fall.
As a young entrepreneur herself, Gosselin, who is currently clerking at the Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa, recalls her excitement about the initiative. “I opened a vegan food truck in 2021 called “The Peach Pit” as part of the Government of Ontario’s Summer Company Program.” She was 21 when she became an entrepreneur and adds that she would have benefited immensely from a startup legal clinic at the time.
In her final year of law school, Gosselin worked as a student caseworker at the uOttawa Community Legal Clinic, in the Family Law Division. She credits her dual experiences with shaping her unique perspective.
“Combining my entrepreneurial and casework experience gave me a helpful perspective of what our clients might need from the clinic and how students can best assist the clients and meet their needs.”
Natasha Gosselin, JD ’24
Cotie says that the opportunity to develop the Startup Law Clinic with her peers “was a highlight of law school.” She also credits her work with the Startup Law Clinic with her resourcefulness and well-honed interview and presentation skills. These are critical skills for both business owners and legal practitioners.
“The experience helped me recognize the transferrable skills law students learn [and it] inspired me to explore entrepreneurship as a career option.”
Jade Cotie, JD ‘24
Since graduating in June 2024, Cotie has founded JEG Talent Group, a boutique strategy first influencer management company. She is currently articling at Ship and Rail Compensation Canada.
Irfan, who is currently completing her final year of law school, was thrilled to gain this practical experience and to connect with the startup ecosystem in Ottawa. During her undergrad at the Schulich School of Business, she developed a passion for working with entrepreneurs, particularly social enterprises, which she hoped to develop further during her JD studies at uOttawa.
“The practical experiences that you gain, alongside your schoolwork, expose to you what you like and what you might not like.”
Zehra Irfan, 3L, English Common Law Program
“Figuring out where you fit in is an important part of learning because you're not necessarily going to know where you want to go with your career until you test those kinds of boundaries out,” says Irfan.
To Sprout
The Startup Law Clinic opened in September with ten students enrolled in the course Access to Justice Practicum (Level 1) (CML2179FF), taught by Professor Doug Sarro. These ten make up the complement of student case-workers at the clinic, and they work directly with clients of early-stage startups, under the supervision of lawyers affiliated with the clinic.
In the course of their work, students may be involved in interviewing clients, drafting and reviewing contracts, preparing legal memoranda, and making presentations on legal issues. The substantive areas of law covered by the clinic include corporate and securities law, intellectual property law and technology law, and employment law.
Professor Sarro, Academic Director of the Startup Law Clinic, says the clinic is responding to “a need in the legal services industry, where early-stage startups want to develop their great ideas, but they run into legal issues.”
Sometimes these small businesses don't have the money to pay for a lawyer to advise them, or they've got to devote their limited capital to developing their idea further, he says.
“That's where I think we can step in to help them think about the issues that are raised by their innovations,” says Professor Sarro. “To think about the consequences that their innovations will have for other people and how to manage those consequences.”
“As lawyers, we talk about risk. We talk about mitigating risk. Bringing that mindset to the fore is so important in the startup space.”
Professor Doug Sarro
— Academic Director of the Startup Law Clinic
Real-world Impact
The response from the startup community has been very positive. The clinic has already helped several clients, and the students get to work on files from a variety of industries - everything from pharma and medical to financial services.
This case work enables them to develop client relationships and manage a legal file from beginning to end. Student case-workers interview founders to try to understand their business, the innovation being brought to market and the legal issues that founders are encountering.
The students also present on legal topics that the clinic frequently addresses. Over the semester they hold three legal education town halls aimed at helping founders, with little-to-no legal training, understand important legal topics.
“Working in the Startup Law Clinic is a great opportunity for students to understand what founders’ legal needs are,” says Professor Sarro, “and how we, as lawyers, can help founders build and grow their business, especially when that business is bringing a new technology, a new innovation to market that is likely to have a positive social impact.”
With the students in the driver’s seat, they have to determine their client’s needs. “It gives students the opportunity to not only conduct legal research and produce legal work product, but also to be the one exercising judgment,” says Professor Sarro. “I think when you have those opportunities you learn a lot about yourself and what kind of professional you are, what kind of lawyer you are, and maybe also what areas of law really excite you, and what really interests you about legal practice.”
A vision for growth
Despite its pilot status, the clinic has already established roots in Ottawa’s startup ecosystem. The clinic has hosted three Legal Education Townhalls, where student caseworkers presented on a variety of law issues faced by startups, and there is demand for more.
Plans are underway to expand its reach, engage more supervising lawyers, and increase student participation. Professor Sarro envisions a future where the clinic serves a wider range of clients, fostering mentorship and amplifying its impact.