Making Social and Environmental Impact Through Legal Careers: The Top 10 Roles for Attorneys in Social Entrepreneurship

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship and law are increasingly interconnected. This article enumerates ten ways in which law students and attorneys can play a meaningful and often unique role in social entrepreneurship. The roles and examples described span the public and private sectors. However, these ten typologies — (1) The Student, (2) The Social Entrepreneur, (3) The Social Enterprise Staffer, (4) The Outside Counsel, (5) The In-House Counsel, (6) The Government Official, (7) The Scholar, (8) The Writer, (9) The Board Member, and (10) The Fundraiser — are by no means exhaustive. As the article discusses, anybody with a legal background can become involved in social entrepreneurship in multiple ways.

Keywords: Small business, Small businesses, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Enterprise, Social Enterprise Law, Law School, LawForChange, Ashoka, Echoing Green, Grameen Bank, Indego Africa, White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, Crowdfund, Crowdfunding