Small Business and Nonprofit Clinic

All students require instructor approval to register. Students must be in their third or fourth year. Full-time students in spring semester of their second year will be considered if space is available. The Business Organizations course is a pre- or co-requisite. Professional Responsibility is recommended, but not required.

What to Expect

Students may enroll for two or three credit-hours a semester. Each credit-hour requires 50 hours of clinic work.

Clinic Faculty

Christopher Muzzo Clinic Director has been involved with the clinic since 2018, serving as director since 2021. Professor Muzzo spent the first 25 years of his legal career in private practice, handling commercial litigation and transactional work for business clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies. In his private practice, he was most recently managing partner of the Furnier Muzzo Group, focusing on commercial litigation and business transactions. He was also founder and chief executive of LexTotus, an online consultancy that sought to help lawyers in career planning and work-life balance. He shares his decades of experience with students as they work together to find solutions for clinic clients. Professor Muzzo has assembled a team of volunteer lawyers with key specialties, including nonprofit law and Intellectual Property, to help supervise students in matters involving those areas. Professor Muzzo holds Juris Doctor and Bachelor degrees from Northwestern University.

How to Apply

Register for the course during the normal semester registration period. To get instructor approval, email Professor Muzzo (muzzoc1@nku.edu) a copy of your resume, your current transcript and a short statement about why you would like to participate in the clinic. You may also email Professor Muzzo at any time with questions about the clinic or the registration process.

For Potential Clients

The clinic provides limited services for clients with legal needs suitable for law students and who are unable to pay private counsel. Potentional clients may complete one of the following applications:

• Clinic Client Application for Legal Services FOR-PROFIT
• Clinic Client Applicaiton for Legal Services NON-PROFIT

Recent Matters

Clinic students:

• Rewrote outdated bylaws of an addiction services nonprofit.
• Conducted a trademark search and drafted an opinion memo, in conjunction with a volunteer Intellectual Property attorney, for a consulting company.
• Performed research and created foundational documents for two woman-owned startups.
• Worked with a technology startup on its terms and conditions and drafted an independent contractor agreement.
• Drafted foundational documents for a professional association of Community Reinvestment Act officers at banks throughout Kentucky and organized and presided over their initial board meeting.
• Drafted foundational documents for a new nonprofit involved in staging a historical World War I airshow and education event.
• In addition, a clinic student performed research on the ability of Cuban nationals to do business in the United States and advised a potential partner of an internationally known performer on rules and limitations.