Spotlight on COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Our Community Economic Development clinic is a new initiative which Paul Twigg has launched to support entrepreneurs, startup businesses and creatives in the Liverpool City Region. We have been able to work with some fantastic clients this year in order to advise on issues such as franchise agreements, shareholders agreements, intellectual property protection, terms and conditions reviews and GDPR advice.

We believe in offering pro-bono legal advice to small businesses and creatives who otherwise would not be able to afford legal advice at the early stage of their journeys, often leading to disastrous consequences later down the line.

The service has been very well received by the organisations we work with in the region including but by no means limited to the Women’s Organisation, the Growth Platform, Sound City and the LJMU Start-Up Hub. In addition, the service has been welcomed by clients, with one small business commenting:

May I take this opportunity to thank [you] both…for your time as well as advice. The feedback link that was in the letter doesn’t really give me an opportunity to say how useful and valuable I have found the service you provide.

I do not know how well used you are, but I feel that you are providing an essential service to small businesses that just need the heads up about certain legal matters, but maybe do not have the funds to seek advice from legal firms.

Moving forward, we intend to expand the capacity of the service when we move into a new premises in Hardman Street and we look forward to working very closely with our colleagues and new neighbours in the Liverpool Business School Business Clinic. We are also working with various local organisations to deliver public information sessions on issues affecting small businesses, musicians and creatives and look forward to delivering these in 2022/2023.