ELC for Students
ELC for Academic Credit
JD students at the University of Alberta can participate in the clinic and receive academic credit for their work. LAW 589 Entrepreneurial Law Clinic (ELC) is a 3-credit experiential learning course (evaluated on a credit/no credit basis) that consists of client work, weekly practical seminars, and community engagement. Students in the ELC will provide legal support by drafting legal information memoranda and transactional legal documents on a range of legal issues for early-stage, traditional start-ups and social enterprises, under the supervision of mentoring lawyers. Although the Clinic’s files vary from term to term, they often include matters related to entity formation, employment and hiring, intellectual property, consumer privacy, non-profits and charities regulations and compliance, business regulations, website and platform regulation, and commercial transactions and other matters common to the operations of for-profit, non-profit, and hybrid start-ups. Students in the ELC also design and run community outreach and other events designed to educate entrepreneurs about legal issues.
Students in the ELC work in teams of twos or threes and are, under the guidance of the ELC instructor, responsible for managing their assigned case files, and are expected to balance their work on multiple files, schedule client and supervisor meetings, and maintain healthy relationships with teammates, clients, and supervisors.
The ELC is offered in both the Fall and Winter terms. Students are accepted into either the Fall or Winter term. Enrollment into the ELC is through application and interview only. Application is open to upper-year students who have completed either LAW 599 Entrepreneurial Law or LAW 599 Advising Startups, and LAW 451 Corporations Law, or are enrolled in these courses. ELC applications often open in April, and selections are made in May.
ELC Summer Internship
Entrepreneurial Law Clinic Summer Internship 2026
The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic (ELC) is hiring summer interns for 2026! Current 1L & 2L JD students, with an interest in supporting entrepreneurs, early-stage businesses, and non-profit organizations, are invited to join our dynamic team! Summer legal interns work on all aspects of the ELC’s and, like Fall and Winter term students, take the lead on the files assigned to them, supported by the Clinic supervisors and mentoring lawyers. Although Clinic’s files vary from summer to summer, they often include matters related to entity formation, employment and hiring, intellectual property, consumer privacy, non-profit and charity regulations and compliance, business regulations, website and platform regulation, and commercial transactions. Interns will support the Clinic’s new and ongoing file docket and make decisions about client intake, cases, and the topic areas to be addressed in the Clinic’s work during the upcoming academic year. Interns are supervised by the ELC supervisors and mentored by volunteer advising lawyers, and are provided with feedback and growth opportunities.
Responsibilities
Entrepreneurial Law Clinic interns will conduct legal work throughout the internship, including but not limited to conducting legal research; drafting memoranda and transactional legal documents, and providing clients with legal information. Interns will also contribute to the public legal education program of the clinic and may be required to prepare legal information brochures and attend community events.
Interns are responsible for managing their own files and are expected to balance their work on multiple files, schedule client and supervisor meetings, and maintain client relationships.
Logistics
The internship is expected to be part-time, virtual, and last approximately sixteen weeks (between May 1, 2026 and August 21, 2026). Candidates will meet with the ELC Supervisor for onboarding on May 1, 2026, then start working on files immediately on May 4, 2026. Students will be paid for the actual number of hours worked at the Faculty of Law’s regular RA hourly rate. The maximum is 20 hours per week.
Qualifications
- Currently enrolled in the JD program at the University of Alberta. We encourage
applications from current 1Ls and 2Ls. - Strong interest in one or more relevant areas of practice, including contracts,
corporations, nonprofits and charities, regulation and compliance, intellectual property,
employment, and consumer privacy. - Strong research, writing, and communication skills.
- No prior legal internship experience required.
- Preference will be given to students who took the ELC for academic credit in the current
academic year and those interested in taking it in the 2026/2027 academic year.
Application Process
To apply, please fill out and submit this form. To complete the application, you will need to provide a resume or CV and a one-page cover letter explaining why you are interested in working for the ELC by April 7, 2026.
The application deadline is April 7, 2026. We will only contact candidates who move to the next step. The ELC will invite shortlisted students to an interview. The interview will be on April 10, 2026.
Notifications will be given to the candidates offered positions within two weeks (by April 24,
2026). Upon receiving an offer, candidates must accept the position within 2 working days, before 2pm on April 28, 2026, or the position will be given to another applicant. Internship applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all positions are filled. We encourage applicants to apply by April 7, 2026, to receive full consideration.
If you have any questions, please contact ufugwu@ualberta.ca.