About every six months, CCLI welcomes a new cohort of participants. We can accept a limited number of lawyers at a time, depending on available space and resources.
To qualify for CCLI’s small-law-firm incubator program, you must be a recent graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law or its predecessor schools, and:
- Be ready to commit to up to 18 months running your own firm and dedicating a substantial proportion of your work to low-bono and sliding-scale services on behalf of people of low and moderate income;
- Be willing to consult with mentors, attend training sessions in the Twin Cities, teach CLEs, and participate fully in the programming of the incubator;
- Have prepared a business plan for your small firm, including choice of primary legal practice area, desired clientele, and ultimate geographic location;
- Have made choices demonstrating your interest in starting a small firm (for example: networking, internships with small firms, membership in relevant organizations, participation in relevant Mitchell Hamline coursework, investments in outside education and technology, etc.) or have already started your own practice;
- Have at least two people willing to serve as references;
- Have anticipated and planned for irregular cash flow and limited income during your time in the incubator;
- Have taken and passed the Minnesota bar.
Plus factors include:
- Proficiency in a language other than English;
- A desire to help a particular Minnesota community or clientele, and experience or education related to working with that clientele;
- A willingness to remain involved with CCLI as a teacher and mentor to future participants after the conclusion of your participation in the incubator; and
- An interest in learning, and serving clients in, one or more legal practice areas where there is a great need for low bono services:
- Criminal expungement
- Drivers’ license issues
- Family law
- Housing law (landlord-tenant)
- Immigration law
- Occupational license issues
- Small business law (entity formation and contract disputes)
We recognize that everyone’s circumstances are different, and welcome applications and proposals from interested lawyers who may not fit a traditional profile.
If you’d like to apply, please review the instructions posted here: 2017 CCLI Participant Application