Students in the Entrepreneurship Clinic, directed by Professor Jonathan Smith, recently led an LLC Bootcamp for startup founders from across the WashU community. The bootcamp, which was hosted by the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation & Entrepreneurship, provided participants with practical guidance on forming and operating limited liability companies, covering topics such as entity selection, governance structures, operating agreements, and compliance obligations.
Clinic students prepared and delivered a founder-centered information on key aspects of LLC formation and management then fielded real-world questions from attendees. By teaching complex legal concepts to a diverse audience of entrepreneurs, students developed valuable skills in distilling technical information and communicating legal advice clearly to non-lawyers. The bootcamp format also allowed students to observe firsthand how founders from different fields approach business formation differently based on their goals and resources.
In addition to strengthening their own legal knowledge through teaching, participating students gained insight into the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem at WashU and the way that ecosystem is impacting the broader St. Louis region. The experience highlighted how transactional lawyers can serve as essential advisors in the early stages of business development, helping founders build solid legal foundations that support long-term growth and sustainability.
