Molly McKinsey and Edmund Pine spent their 2L summer working as practice scholars for the Law School’s Corporate Institute, which oversees our Business Law Clinic. The clinic periodically holds Brief Advice Sessions in which law students have the opportunity to work with local business owners and advise them on starting, protecting, and/or growing their entrepreneurial enterprises. During one of these sessions, the students met with representatives of Mademoiselle Miel, a St. Paul, Minnesota based chocolate shop looking to spin off a nonprofit organization to educate and advocate for bee conservation and urban beekeeping. The experience culminated with a visit to the shop, including a tour of the building and its rooftop beehives, as well as a tasting of the shop's honey-infused bonbons with proprietor Susan Brown. The new nonprofit, called "Building Bees," plans to launch in spring 2022. (Read story.)
“I was able to get a behind-the-scenes look at a process that I previously knew little about, see the realization of someone's entrepreneurial dream, and eat incredibly high-quality chocolate!”
—Edmund Pine, 3L
The Business Law Clinic is one of more than two dozen law clinics offering students experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom. Beginning with our innovative Law in Practice program in their first year, students get the best of both worlds: top-notch academic programs combined with a vast array of hands-on opportunities that develop practical skills. It is our aim to have students graduate with both a strong knowledge of the law and the ability to practice it.