MAKING THE
INACCESSIBLE ACCESSIBLE
FOSTERING ECONOMIC MOBILITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE QUEEN CITY
OUR CORE PURPOSE
CLIMB exists to expand opportunity for all entrepreneurs.
OUR CORE VALUES
ACCESS
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We provide free business law services to entrepreneurs of limited means.
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We utilize our collective resources and networks to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in the historically under-resourced communities of Charlotte.
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By helping small businesses overcome obstacles to opportunity and growth, we seek to advance economic mobility and social justice for our community.
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We create meaningful opportunities for lawyers to serve their communities.
COLLABORATION
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We partner with our clients to build and sustain thriving businesses.
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We form networks with law firms and corporate legal departments to maximize resources for the entrepreneurs we serve.
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We join forces across law firms, partner organizations, and professional services to ensure holistic support for entrepreneurs.
WELCOME TO CLIMB
We are a collaborative effort among the largest corporate law firms in Charlotte. We are expanding access to legal services to historically marginalized entrepreneurs, supporting small businesses in the community, and fostering economic opportunity and mobility, all toward a goal of social justice. We prioritize services for people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, veterans, and immigrants. CLIMB directly benefits entrepreneurs, volunteers, and the law firms contributing to this effort. We believe small businesses are the key to a thriving Queen City and we want everyone to have an equal opportunity to own and grow a business.
THE CLIMB TIMELINE
2020
2021
In the wake of George Floyd’s death, leaders of the Mecklenburg County Bar and local law firms 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.
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.
2023
CLIMB hires Casey Burke, Esq. as its Executive Director and receives its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS.
2024
CLIMB receives significant financial backing from the City of Charlotte's Office of Economic Development as well as LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) through LPL Financial.
