Law students from the University of Melbourne will soon have the opportunity to provide legal advice to innovative new community and environmentally focused projects through a new Sustainability Business Clinic.
With many start-ups unable to afford specialist legal advice, the Clinic aims to help new sustainability projects with environmental, planning, intellectual property, property, corporate, finance and energy law issues.
Law students who enroll in the Sustainability Business Clinic subject will spend 12 days advising start-ups, under the supervision of environmental lawyers from Ashurst. Community-owned renewable energy projects, planning law issues around establishing rooftop vegetable gardens, or creating a car-sharing co-operative, are examples of the sorts of projects the Clinic is expected to advise on.
According to University of Melbourne law lecturer Brad Jessup, the Clinic "has the ability to produce positive results for both the environment and University of Melbourne law students and as sustainability is becoming an integral part of all business they will develop competencies vital to their careers."
The Sustainability Business Clinic’s first eight students will commence in semester two next year.
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