MENTA, a NEN partner, will support The University of East Anglia’s Law Clinics’ new Business Clinic, which opens this month.
MENTA, a NEN partner, will support The University of East Anglia’s Law Clinics’ new Business Clinic, which opens this month.
The University of East Anglia’s (UEA) national-award-winning Law Clinic was founded in 2012 and has its own purpose-built, fully accessible premises within Earlham Hall on the UEA campus. Now, the Clinic is setting up a new Business Clinic, providing free advice and help to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the local area.
The new Business Clinic is a partnership between different local organisations and academic experts at UEA. Students from UEA’s Law and Business schools will help run the clinics and sit in on the advice sessions, developing their business and legal knowledge. Opening this month, the initial plan is to hold the Business Clinic once per month while interest is gauged, generally on the second Friday.
The Business Clinic can help with a multitude of services, including setting up a company, drafting terms and conditions, succession planning, expansion or business direction, cost and service delivery, intellectual property, employment law, and governance issues.
MENTA Business Support will also send its advisors to provide business grants and loans to online businesses, skills training in marketing, sales, digital and social media, and process improvement to online businesses. MENTA CEO Alex Till is chair of the National Enterprise Network.
Polly Morgan, Director of the Law Clinic, said:
“Many families locally rely on small enterprises and we know that not all business owners can afford to pay for advice at the moment. Our role, and the role of UEA, is to support our community – we’re part of it.”
UEA Norwich Business School academics Andrew Fearne and Andrew Vassallo serve as advisers to the Clinic. A consumer behaviour expert, Andrew Fearne specializes in buyer-supplier relationships, and Andrew Vassallo has extensive experience in all aspects of manufacturing.
Providing legal advice are Birketts Solicitors, keen supporters of local causes. Corporate Associate William Kemp is leading, but other specialists, such as employment and intellectual property, will contribute when necessary.
Additionally, Dionne Dury and Ben Dures are providing workplace mediation services to resolve disputes between colleagues, including disputes over contract performance, disputes over wills and estates, neighbour disputes, and disputes over adult social care funding. This service will be held on two Fridays per month, on separate days at the Business Clinic.
Local residents running small or medium-sized enterprise or are thinking of setting one up, are encouraged to contact the team for more information: https://lawclinic.uea.ac.uk/
