Law Clinics

Law Clinics at Fordham Law

The clinics at Fordham Law School offer a unique experiential learning opportunity for students to work with actual legal clients in the larger New York City community. Professors Gowri Krishna ’06 JD and Anderson J. Duff took a group of law students to Brooklyn to present a workshop on the principles of business law to local aspiring entrepreneurs.

Attendees—including the owners of a bakery, a cleaning service, a nonprofit literature collective, and a real estate company—received insights from the students on business law basics, including writing contracts and establishing LLCs.

“The goal was to demystify the legal side of entrepreneurship and empower the attendees to make confident decisions,” says law clinic student Uche Onyiuke ’25 JD. “It was so rewarding to see how engaged everyone was, and I was glad to hear how helpful they found the session.”

“The business entity event gave me the insight I was after and more,” says East Harlem–based entrepreneur Raeven Mataya, who owns Raediant Bakes, a home-based bakery specializing in made-to-order New Orleans sweets.

“I wanted a deeper understanding of the legalities and logistics behind running a business, such as LLC registration and best practices for contracts,” says Mataya. “I wanted to know anything that could help develop and protect my business as it grows. I learned many things that will help me build a stronger foundation for my business and future endeavors, and I’m looking forward to putting those lessons into practice.”

The session provided useful business law insights to the local community and networking opportunities to the law students. “Teaching the Intellectual Property Clinic has been a lot of fun for me, but what makes it fun is seeing students that I’ve been teaching go out into the real world and learn to interact with all different types of people,” says Duff. “It’s an incredibly valuable skill to have.”

The Community Economic Development Clinic, taught by Krishna, serves grassroots nonprofits and community-based organizations working toward economic justice. The Intellectual Property Clinic, taught by Duff, helps artists, musicians, and other clients navigate the complicated balance of protecting creative ideas and making information accessible. Fordham Law has more than a dozen clinics tackling issues such as immigration, criminal law, federal tax law, housing, mediation, and others.

Left to right: Professor Gowri Krishna ’06 JD, Drew Sager ’25 JD, Uche Onyiuke ’25 JD, Visiting Professor Carrie Hempel, Professor Anderson J. Duff, Kayla Ann Siletti Brown ’25 JD, and Brianna E. Courtney ’25 JD