Skip navigation links

About

What We Value

 

Mission

The Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic supports underserved, high impact entrepreneurial organizations who transform the marketplace and society more broadly with their innovations and creations. 

We accomplish our mission by:

  • Training students to develop analytical skills, authentic professional identities, and autonomy, while they also learn how transactional law can contribute to equity; 
  • Providing a breadth of free legal services to entrepreneurs and innovators, from direct legal representation in transactions to community-oriented capacity-building in workshops, office hours, and meetups; and
  • Pursuing systemic change through elevating underrepresented voices, values and visions in entrepreneurship and innovation law.

The Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic is grateful for financial and in-kind support to pursue this mission from a variety of sources, including the Law College, corporations, law firms, and individuals. This program is approved by the State Bar of Michigan as an entity eligible to receive pro bono contributions from attorneys. The clinic is grateful for the support it has received in the past, and looks forward to receiving additional funding from new donors to expand its critical services.

Anti-oppression, diversity, inclusion, and equity

The EEILC shares the dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion of Michigan State University set forth in its strategic plan, to "providing opportunity through education and building the future of Michigan and the nation with the talent and contributions of individuals from all backgrounds and communities."1 The EEILC also takes seriously its professional obligations under Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 6.5(a), which states in relevant part that "[a] lawyer shall take particular care to avoid treating [persons involved in the legal process] discourteously or disrespectfully because of the person’s race, gender, or other protected personal characteristic."The mission and work of the Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic is further inspired by, and actively advances, any "movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression."3 

Land Acknowledgement

The Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic collectively acknowledges that Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg—Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. In particular, the University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. We recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of Michigan’s twelve federally recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold Michigan State University more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples. 

 

  1. Michigan State University, "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion," Strategic Plan, available at https://strategicplan.msu.edu/strategic-plan/dei (last accessed August 15, 2022).
  2. Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 6.5(a) ("A lawyer shall treat with courtesy and respect all persons involved in the legal process. A lawyer shall take particular care to avoid treating such a person discourteously or disrespectfully because of the person’s race, gender, or other protected personal characteristic. To the extent possible, a lawyer shall require subordinate lawyers and nonlawyer assistants to provide such courteous and respectful treatment.")
  3. The groundbreaking author, educator and activist bell hooks famously developed this inclusive and expansive definition of feminism, which expresses that feminism "is not about being anti-male" and also emphasizes the importance of eradicating oppression of all kinds, including racism and classism. bell hooks, FEMINISM IS FOR EVERYBODY (2000) at viii, 1.

Who We Are

 

Clinic Student Attorneys

All clinic work is performed by upper-level law students at MSU Law, working under the supervision of licensed Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic faculty. Learn more about current student attorneys of the Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic. 

Clinic Faculty

Professor Anne Choike is the founding Director of the Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic and Associate Clinical Professor of Law at MSU Law. She is licensed to practice law in Michigan and New York, and is also patent bar eligible. Professor Choike directly supervises all student work in the clinic. Professor Choike’s teaching, legal practice experience, research, service and education is more fully described on her MSU Law faculty biography.

Among her other expertise relevant to the work of the Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic, Professor Choike has published and presented her work on applications of feminist theory and methods to corporate law; community-led system design in corporate law; community development laws that promote stakeholder governance and engagement in corporate law; and gender diversity and disparities in corporate law. Prior to academia, Professor Choike practiced corporate law at Jenner & Block LLP and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York City, where her legal experience included intellectual property-driven strategic transactions in the content, media and entertainment and biopharmaceutical industries, among others. 

Clinic Staff Attorneys and Fellows

While the EEILC does not currently have any staff attorneys or fellows, the EEILC anticipates future opportunities may arise to grow the EEILC. If you are interested in pursuing a position with the EEILC as a staff attorney or fellow, please reach out to EEILC faculty to express your interest.  EEILC staff attorney(s) and/or fellow(s) are fully engaged in leading the EEILC's work, including direct representation of EEILC clients, teaching select classes of the EEILC seminars, assisting on projects to advance the EEILC’s goals both in and outside the classroom, and providing guidance to EEILC student attorneys.

Clinic Alumni and Partner Attorneys

EEILC alumni and friends of the EEILC support the EEILC in a variety of ways, including occasionally attending EEILC events, and volunteering to support students as seminar guests, mock clients, and mentors.  If you are interested in pursuing any of these opportunities with the EEILC, please reach out to EEILC faculty to express your interest. 

MSU Law Clinic Office Staff

The EEILC could not accomplish its work without the invaluable support from the MSU Law Clinic Office Manager, Jesse Alvarez, and the Director of MSU Law Clinics, Kathryn Fort (who is also Director of the Indian Law Clinic at MSU Law). 

What We Value

 

Mission

The Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic supports underserved, high impact entrepreneurial organizations who transform the marketplace and society more broadly with their innovations and creations. 

We accomplish our mission by:

  • Training students to develop analytical skills, authentic professional identities, and autonomy, while they also learn how transactional law can contribute to equity; 
  • Providing a breadth of free legal services to entrepreneurs and innovators, from direct legal representation in transactions to community-oriented capacity-building in workshops, office hours, and meetups; and
  • Pursuing systemic change through elevating underrepresented voices, values and visions in entrepreneurship and innovation law.

The Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic is grateful for financial and in-kind support to pursue this mission from a variety of sources, including the Law College, corporations, law firms, and individuals. This program is approved by the State Bar of Michigan as an entity eligible to receive pro bono contributions from attorneys. The clinic is grateful for the support it has received in the past, and looks forward to receiving additional funding from new donors to expand its critical services.

Anti-oppression, diversity, inclusion, and equity

The EEILC shares the dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion of Michigan State University set forth in its strategic plan, to "providing opportunity through education and building the future of Michigan and the nation with the talent and contributions of individuals from all backgrounds and communities."1 The EEILC also takes seriously its professional obligations under Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 6.5(a), which states in relevant part that "[a] lawyer shall take particular care to avoid treating [persons involved in the legal process] discourteously or disrespectfully because of the person’s race, gender, or other protected personal characteristic."The mission and work of the Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic is further inspired by, and actively advances, any "movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression."3 

Land Acknowledgement

The Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic collectively acknowledges that Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg—Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. In particular, the University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. We recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of Michigan’s twelve federally recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold Michigan State University more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples. 

 

  1. Michigan State University, "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion," Strategic Plan, available at https://strategicplan.msu.edu/strategic-plan/dei (last accessed August 15, 2022).
  2. Michigan Rule of Professional Conduct 6.5(a) ("A lawyer shall treat with courtesy and respect all persons involved in the legal process. A lawyer shall take particular care to avoid treating such a person discourteously or disrespectfully because of the person’s race, gender, or other protected personal characteristic. To the extent possible, a lawyer shall require subordinate lawyers and nonlawyer assistants to provide such courteous and respectful treatment.")
  3. The groundbreaking author, educator and activist bell hooks famously developed this inclusive and expansive definition of feminism, which expresses that feminism "is not about being anti-male" and also emphasizes the importance of eradicating oppression of all kinds, including racism and classism. bell hooks, FEMINISM IS FOR EVERYBODY (2000) at viii, 1.

Who We Are

 

Clinic Student Attorneys

All clinic work is performed by upper-level law students at MSU Law, working under the supervision of licensed Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic faculty. Learn more about current student attorneys of the Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic. 

Clinic Faculty

Professor Anne Choike is the founding Director of the Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic and Associate Clinical Professor of Law at MSU Law. She is licensed to practice law in Michigan and New York, and is also patent bar eligible. Professor Choike directly supervises all student work in the clinic. Professor Choike’s teaching, legal practice experience, research, service and education is more fully described on her MSU Law faculty biography.

Among her other expertise relevant to the work of the Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic, Professor Choike has published and presented her work on applications of feminist theory and methods to corporate law; community-led system design in corporate law; community development laws that promote stakeholder governance and engagement in corporate law; and gender diversity and disparities in corporate law. Prior to academia, Professor Choike practiced corporate law at Jenner & Block LLP and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP in New York City, where her legal experience included intellectual property-driven strategic transactions in the content, media and entertainment and biopharmaceutical industries, among others. 

Clinic Staff Attorneys and Fellows

While the EEILC does not currently have any staff attorneys or fellows, the EEILC anticipates future opportunities may arise to grow the EEILC. If you are interested in pursuing a position with the EEILC as a staff attorney or fellow, please reach out to EEILC faculty to express your interest.  EEILC staff attorney(s) and/or fellow(s) are fully engaged in leading the EEILC's work, including direct representation of EEILC clients, teaching select classes of the EEILC seminars, assisting on projects to advance the EEILC’s goals both in and outside the classroom, and providing guidance to EEILC student attorneys.

Clinic Alumni and Partner Attorneys

EEILC alumni and friends of the EEILC support the EEILC in a variety of ways, including occasionally attending EEILC events, and volunteering to support students as seminar guests, mock clients, and mentors.  If you are interested in pursuing any of these opportunities with the EEILC, please reach out to EEILC faculty to express your interest. 

MSU Law Clinic Office Staff

The EEILC could not accomplish its work without the invaluable support from the MSU Law Clinic Office Manager, Jesse Alvarez, and the Director of MSU Law Clinics, Kathryn Fort (who is also Director of the Indian Law Clinic at MSU Law).