Economics

New Clinic Partnership Supports Underserved Entrepreneurs

Published

9 years ago

January 24, 2017

University of San Francisco News

USF School of Law’s Entrepreneurial Ventures Legal Services Project (EVLS) has launched a partnership with Centro Community Partners to provide legal advice and support to underserved Bay Area entrepreneurs.Several of Centro’s advanced entrepreneurship training program participants from San Francisco and the East Bay will be matched with USF law students and supervising faculty. The clients will receive pro bono legal services to help them create businesses with a solid legal foundation.

“Joining forces with Centro is a perfect fit for both USF and EVLS because our missions are so aligned,” said Professor Robert Talbot, director of EVLS and the four clinics that comprise it. “Centro’s clients, who are primarily women and minorities, are creating businesses with a social mission, and we are constantly strive to provide our law students with unique hands-on learning opportunities while making a positive impact in our communities.”

Centro’s entrepreneurship trainer and program manager Daniel Healy said finding affordable legal support is a big challenge for clients. “USF’s pro bono legal support will help our clients understand and meet the legal requirements they need to launch and run their businesses, and understand what they can do to reduce the legal risks facing their businesses.”

Gretchen Pfeffer, who joined Centro’s advanced entrepreneurship training program in September, decided to follow her passion for dogs and is creating a natural dog treat business with the goal of donating a percentage of her profits to local animal shelters. USF students Daniel Armstrong 3L, Lindsay Hill 2L, and Carmen Martinez Rodriguez 2L, worked with Pfeffer this semester on trademark research and registration, business formation, and permitting, licensing, and general business issues.

“Each student answered specific questions I had about forming a small business. But more importantly, each one told me things I had never even heard of before,” Pfeffer said. “I can’t tell you how many things they’ve taught me that could have been a potential future business killer for me.”

Hill is interested in working with women entrepreneurs and innovators focused on social justice initiatives, so her work with EVLS and clients like Pfeffer “couldn’t be a better fit” for her career goals. She loves “the legal facets of this work, but I am especially inspired by the creative brainstorming and business aspects of working with entrepreneurs.”

“EVLS provided the institutional support I needed to learn and ask questions, as well as the freedom and opportunity to work one-on-one with clients,” Hill said. “As a law student, this was such an empowering and unusual experience.”

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

5 days ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

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NPRC Joins National Grand Jury Proceedings Seeking Accountability, Constitutional Restoration

Organizers state that testimony will explore historical and political developments that they believe have contributed to the expansion of corporate influence over public institutions and governmental decision-making. Participants are expected to discuss concerns regarding constitutional governance, individual liberties, property rights, and the protection of vulnerable populations, including seniors and persons with disabilities.

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Billie Powers.

Special to The Post

The National Probate Reform Coalition (NPRC) has joined Toll and Roll and a growing coalition of advocacy organizations, victims, whistleblowers, and citizen groups in support of a nationally broadcast People’s Grand Jury proceeding scheduled for July 1 and July 7.

Organizers describe the event as a public forum designed to examine allegations of government abuse, judicial misconduct, legislative failures, and the erosion of constitutional protections affecting millions of Americans.

The proceedings will feature testimony from victims, families, advocates, and organizations from across the country who contend they have experienced harm through government actions, institutional neglect, and failures of oversight.

According to organizers, the People’s Grand Jury will focus on concerns involving probate courts, guardianships, conservatorships, child welfare systems, property rights, civil liberties, and what participants view as a growing disconnect between government institutions and the constitutional rights of the people they are sworn to serve.

NPRC is participating because many of the issues being examined mirror the concerns raised by advocates, victims, and families who have participated in its monthly town halls. For years, families have reported cases involving exploitation of elders, questionable guardianships, estate depletion, denial of due process, and a lack of meaningful oversight within probate court systems.

“This proceeding gives victims and advocates an opportunity to place their experiences on the public record,” said Tanya Dennis, lead facilitator of NPRC. “For too long, families have struggled to have their voices heard regarding elder abuse, probate exploitation, and government inaction. This forum allows those stories to be shared before a national audience.”

In keeping with principles of transparency and fairness, invitations have been extended to legislators, members of the judiciary, law enforcement representatives, and other public officials who may wish to respond to concerns raised during the proceedings or defend actions taken by their respective institutions.

One of the primary outcomes sought by organizers is public consideration and support for the People’s Remedy and Restoration Act, a proposed legislative framework that advocates believe would strengthen oversight, increase accountability, provide remedies for victims of governmental abuse, and restore constitutional protections.

The proceedings are expected to be broadcast nationally, providing citizens throughout the United States an opportunity to observe testimony, review evidence presented, and participate in an ongoing conversation regarding government accountability and the protection of individual rights.

Advocates hope the hearings will encourage meaningful dialogue, legislative reform, and renewed public engagement in the democratic process.

Individuals, organizations, public officials, and members of the media interested in attending or obtaining access information may contact the organizers at tollandroll2025@gmail.com.

As Americans continue to debate the future of constitutional governance, judicial accountability, and the protection of vulnerable citizens, the July proceedings are expected to serve as a significant forum for public testimony and civic engagement. For more information, go to https://tollandroll.com