Food Banks and Investment Banks: Clinic Design for Corporate Practice
31 Pages Posted: 21 Nov 2014 Last revised: 20 Apr 2015
Date Written: December 16, 2014
Abstract
The Organizations and Transactions Clinic at Stanford Law School ("O&T") represents only established nonprofit corporations, most with annual revenues in the $1-$25 million range, and some considerably larger. The practice focuses on corporate governance, contracts, corporate structure, and program design and operations. The work is document-oriented. Project execution is collaboration-based; O&T carries out engagements through teams comprised of two students and an instructor, with the instructors actively engaged in hands-on analytical and editorial work. The formal instruction in the associated seminar concentrates on orientation to core commercial relationships (including acquisition, credit, and license), public company materials, and transaction planning and execution. These features mean, among other things, that core aspects of the O&T operating model differ in material respects from those of other transactional clinics. This Article discusses the thinking underlying that model. The Article reviews how the institutional and community setting and the learning goals of the clinic influenced its design; describes the client, project execution and classroom approach; and discusses potential criticisms of the model.
Keywords: clinic design, corporate documents, transaction planning, document design, contract drafting, legal drafting, legal writing, deal work, collaboration, nonprofits, corporate governance, corporate structure, big law, legal education, clinical education, clinical teaching, transactional law clinic
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