CLIMB serves entrepreneurs and small businesses who:
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live in the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County or employ individuals or serve a community in the city or county;
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meet certain income-based eligibility guidelines; and
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are currently selling goods/services; or for those entrepreneurs without an existing business, can demonstrate that the venture is at a stage in which legal assistance would be appropriate.
CLIMB prioritizes applications from small businesses whose ownership consists primarily of people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, veterans or disabled persons.
During the pilot program, CLIMB will accept applications through its initial referral partners:
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The Boost Pad
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Carolinas–Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council
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Charlotte Business INClusion
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Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce
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National Black MBA Association, Inc. – Charlotte Chapter
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Prospera
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Women’s Business Center of Charlotte
These are separated under three different headings: location, income, and consulting. A few edits were made to this. They also added “will work with referral sources that serve individuals and businesses in those groups. If an applicant does not meet eligibility requirements, CLIMB will make a referral to a (partner?) lawyer or law firm.”
CLIMB serves entrepreneurs and small businesses who:
-
live in the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County or employ individuals or serve a community in the city or county;
-
meet certain income-based eligibility guidelines; and
-
are currently selling goods/services; or for those entrepreneurs without an existing business, can demonstrate that the venture is at a stage in which legal assistance would be appropriate.
CLIMB prioritizes applications from small businesses whose ownership consists primarily of people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, veterans or disabled persons.
During the pilot program, CLIMB will accept applications through its initial referral partners:
-
The Boost Pad
-
Carolinas–Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council
-
Charlotte Business INClusion
-
Charlotte LGBT Chamber of Commerce
-
National Black MBA Association, Inc. – Charlotte Chapter
-
Prospera
-
Women’s Business Center of Charlotte
These are separated under three different headings: location, income, and consulting. A few edits were made to this. They also added “will work with referral sources that serve individuals and businesses in those groups. If an applicant does not meet eligibility requirements, CLIMB will make a referral to a (partner?) lawyer or law firm.”
ABOUT CLIMB
A STEP FORWARD
CLIMB is a nonprofit legal services organization created to provide pro bono business law legal services to historically under-represented entrepreneurs, and small business owners of limited means. CLIMB prioritizes services for people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, and veterans.
CLIMB seeks to advance economic mobility and social justice in our local community by expanding access to the legal system in Charlotte.
CLIMB strives to be part of a well-organized supportive network for entrepreneurs that contributes to a growth in the number of minority-owned small businesses in the Charlotte area.
For more information about CLIMB, contact us at info@climbnc.org.
SUPPORTING LAW FIRMS
CLIMB provides legal services through a network of volunteer lawyers from law firms committed to serving the Charlotte community. These firms donate legal services through their volunteer lawyers and support the ongoing operations of CLIMB: Alston & Bird, Bradley, Cadwalader, Hunton Andrews Kurth, McGuireWoods, Mayer Brown, Moore & Van Allen, Parker Poe, Troutman Pepper, Robinson Bradshaw, and Womble Bond Dickinson.
BACKGROUND
2020: In the wake of George Floyd’s death, leaders of the Mecklenburg County Bar and local law firm leaders began an independent process of identifying ways to foster economic mobility and, ultimately, social justice in the Charlotte area. The Carolinas Social Impact Initiative formed, and the group determined that providing free legal services to low-income entrepreneurs and small businesses was essential to advancing economic mobility and an important step toward racial equity.
2021: A working group of Robinson Bradshaw and Moore & Van Allen attorneys and professional staff collaborated to launch the CLIMB pilot program with significant partnership and support from the Charlotte offices of McGuireWoods and Bradley.
2022: The CLIMB pilot program successfully serves a varied group of clients with volunteers from the four initial law firms. With the support and encouragement from the law firms in the Carolinas Social Impact Initiative, CLIMB was formed as a North Carolina nonprofit corporation.