In Fordham Law’s Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, students dive into real-world legal work, helping New York City’s small business owners—from a barbershop owner to a health educator to childcare providers—navigate complex issues in employment, intellectual property, and contracts so they can grow their businesses.
This semester’s Clinic is led by Visiting Professor Carrie Hempel, who is working with Adjunct Professor Kristen Leibensperger and a team of 10 Fordham Law students to serve the legal needs of local entrepreneurs.
“Once the students meet the clients, they get so energized to do the work,” said Hempel. “They are inspired to actually practice law in a supportive, supervised way. That is, for me, a great joy, seeing them get excited about practicing law.”
Hempel is a distinguished clinical professor of law at UC Irvine School of Law, where she has co-directed the school’s Community and Economic Development Clinic since 2011. She was also UCI Law’s founding associate dean for clinical education and service learning and previously taught in the University of Southern California School of Law’s Post-Conviction Justice Project clinical program.
Sisters Selam, Aden, and Samra, who preferred to use their first names, connected with Hempel and a pair of Clinic students for legal advice on their recently-launched brand of Ethiopian honey wine. The trio, whose family immigrated to New York from Ethiopia, were inspired to start their company after growing up watching their mothers and grandmothers make the ceremonial wine using a traditional process.
“Those moments were more than just recipes—they were lessons in heritage, in honoring where we come from, and the customs that tie us together,” said Selam. “And now, with Keda Honey Wine, we’re pouring our hearts into every bottle, paying tribute to them, to our culture, and to the age-old practices that make each sip a journey back home.”
Clinic students Sheridan Hawkins ’25 and Sarah Hartman ’25 worked closely with the sisters on revising contracts and researching licensing requirements for online and in-person sales. They described the experience of applying their legal skills to real-life business matters as a fulfilling learning opportunity.
“Working in the clinic has been invaluable in gaining practical experience that goes beyond the classroom,” said Hawkins. “I’ve had the opportunity to conduct legal research on industry-specific issues and work hands-on with real-world legal tasks, such as drafting contracts and advising on regulatory compliance.”
“My favorite part of working in the Clinic is experiencing unique questions and issues that you normally wouldn’t encounter in law school,” added Hartman. “The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic encourages student interns to find the answers to these questions themselves. We are able to use the law we’ve learned in past semesters while also researching areas that we are unfamiliar with. I believe this enhances our education and will prepare us for future employment.”
Hempel is effusive about the opportunities the Clinic provides for students to gain practical experience. “I think I have the best job in the world because I get to work in an academic setting, practice law with clients who I choose, and work with students who are at a point in their lives where they finally get to get to start doing what they came to law school for, which is to practice law,” she said. “It’s a really fun job to have.”