SETTING YOU UP
FOR SUCCESS
PROTECT EVERYTHING YOU WORK DAY IN AND DAY OUT TO BUILD
YOUR POWERFUL PARTNER
CLIMB provides pro bono legal assistance to under-resourced Mecklenburg County entrepreneurs and small business owners in two ways:
BRIEF LEGAL CLINICS
One-hour consults held on monthly basis
DIRECT REPRESENTATION
Placement with a law firm for more extended representation
WHAT PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
FOR BOTH PROGRAMS
✔
Your business must be located in, or doing most of its business in, Mecklenburg County
✔
All owners must be eligible for pro bono services and CLIMB will review business revenue, household income, and other facts
✔
Your business can still be in the idea phase (business plan required) or already in existence
FREE MONTLY VIRTUAL
LEGAL CLINICS
POWERED BY TRUIST BANK
On the first Wednesday of every month, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., CLIMB will host virtual brief advice legal clinics.
These clinics are ideal for if you:
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have questions you would like to discuss with an attorney in a one-hour session
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would like one hour of general legal advice of their business
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would like an attorney to help you formulate next steps for your business
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would like to spend an hour with an attorney reviewing a document
PRO BONO DIRECT REPRESENTATION
If you have a specific legal need and are ready to begin working with an attorney on that need, you may apply to be placed with a law firm for representation. Direct representation matters, on average, take about three weeks to place with a firm, and CLIMB matters tend to take 3-4 months to complete.
HOW WE HELP
Make an informed decision on the best legal structure for your business (Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, LLC, C-Corporation, S-Corporation) based on an understanding of the differences in cost, complexity, flexibility, control and tax treatment.
Register a limited liability entity for a business, draft bylaws, operating agreement and other organizational documents, and take all formation steps required by regulators, licensors and taxing authorities.
QUESTIONS ABOUT CLIMB ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS?
OUR REFERRAL PARTNERS
CLIMB CLIENT SUCCESS STORY: A CITY OF SUPPORT
In 2017, Katheryn Hermida opened John Emily Studios, a sewing and alterations business that specializes in bridal alterations. She’d learned all of her tactical skills from her mother, but she realized she had a lot to learn about running a business. Katheryn worked with several entrepreneurial support organizations in Charlotte, including Scale Up CLT, a business accelerator that referred her to CLIMB. With CLIMB’s support, Katheryn has worked with several different local law firms to get help with various vendor contracts, independent contractor agreements, and business-to-business contracts with non-disclosure agreements. She says the legal guidance has “made a world of difference in her women-led business serving women.”
