Startup Law: Sustainability

Stanford law students, working under the supervision of the Stanford attorney teaching team, provide pro bono legal assistance and support to non-profit and for-profit startups focused on climate, sustainability, and impact.

Services

The program is open for engagements all year. The program typically supports:

  • Formation / incorporation, including social and sustainable enterprise structures
  • Founder equity issuance
  • Founder IP assignment to corporation
  • Hiring advisors and consultants
  • Fundraising (convertible notes, SAFEs, or equity <$5M)
  • Legal research & issue spotting
  • Referrals to specialists (immigration, patent, trademark)
Business meeting

Featured Past Work

Cyclist in a protect bike lane.

Sustainable Transportation

Streets Forward is a fiscally-sponsored nonprofit project at the forefront of the movement for safe, equitable, and sustainable streets. Streets Forward is making it safer and faster for people to […]
Apartment with solar panel unit on the balcony.

Accessible Solar

Raya Power is a public benefit corporation seeking to make solar more accessible by building solar systems that anyone can purchase, set up, and connect to their major appliances. Many […]
Two large green colored water tanks on tall steel stand in open field in blue sky landscape.

Delivering Clean Water to Rural Communities

Coshun is focused on providing clean water solutions through a low-tech water filter utilizing shungite carbon, with the goal of providing rural communities with an easily maintainable solution for safe […]
A surfer lines up a very large wave at the infamous Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu.

Sustainable Surfboards

SwellCycle specializes in crafting sustainable surfboards using innovative 3D printing techniques and 100% recycled, non-toxic materials. By replacing traditional foam cores with their smart core technology, they’ve created boards that […]
Smart farm digital icon and futuristic AI data infographic of watering of nature rice field.

Agricultural Water Budgeting for Climate Resilience

Mizu Analytics is a public benefit corporation building cutting-edge analytical tools to inform decisions around water sustainability. Mizu tackles water sustainability in agriculture, where 70% of freshwater is used. The […]
Cows in Washington forest

Silvopasture Carbon Offsets

Working Trees is building monitoring, reporting, and verification (“MRV”) technology that monitors the climate impact of trees using ordinary mobile devices. Working Trees utilizes this MRV technology to facilitate a […]
Two high-voltage power lines against the backdrop of the sunset sky with graphs of electricity consumption statistics.

Predictive Maintenance for Critical Grid Power Assets

As electrification accelerates and extreme weather events strain aging infrastructure, ensuring the uptime and reliability of grid assets—like transformers, generators, and inverters—is more critical than ever. Yet, conventional maintenance methods […]
Close up of micro algae in a lab.

Sustainable Microalgae Aquaculture Feeds

Namaka Algae is developing algal cultivation technology to efficiently and sustainably produce highly nutritious microalgae blends for aquaculture feeds in Hawai’i and beyond. Namaka Algae estimates that unsustainable ingredient use […]

Testimonials

“You get to understand the entrepreneur's mindset and their motivations at the early stage, setting you up to be familiar with the core legal documents, business decisions, and interpersonal relationships.”

2L Student

“Beyond helping us on legal matters, the students have truly been thought partners on a higher level. They have saved us so much time – and money. They ask great questions, have incredibly valuable feedback, and they go above and beyond their legal calling. They are really interested in us as people and in the success of the company at large.”

Client: Carbon Credits

“I'm leaving this class with applicable skills, a better understanding of startup law and sustainability, and more deeply examined thoughts about the kind of life I hope to live and the impact I hope to have on the world.”

2L Student

“Thank you so much for your valuable support as we start up our venture. I'm grateful and will be happy to return this favor in the future. It has been easy to work with everyone, and I can see the quality of work completed.”

Client: BioTech

“Thank you all so much! It was wonderful working with all of you! I will share information about the program with my founder groups and spread the word on this wonderful opportunity for founders.”

Client: Sustainable Fashion

“If you are interested in EC/VC, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain first-hand experience assisting clients from formation to fundraising. As a 3L, this has been my favorite class at SLS.”

3L Student

“This class is an incredible learning environment with unique access to clients, professors, and other classmates.”

3L Student

“This is an invaluable opportunity to try transactional work with a social purpose.”

2L Student

“The class has made me really excited to practice law.”

3L Student

“Thanks for your patience and for all the great work. It is of great help for us.”

Client: Decarbonization

Instructors

Advisors

Robert Bartlett

  • W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business
  • Professor of Finance (by courtesy), Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
  • Faculty Co-Director, Rock Center for Corporate Governance

Barton Thompson

  • Robert E. Paradise Professor of Natural Resources Law
  • Senior Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment
  • Professor, Doerr School of Sustainability

Law course is a win-win-win for students, startups, and the planet

Photo of Stanford lecturers Molly Melius, JD '10, and Sam McClure, JD '17.

 

A unique hands-on class teaches Stanford Law School students how to counsel early-stage companies that are tackling pressing environmental issues. Startup Law: Sustainability, conceived and co-taught by lecturers Molly Melius, JD ’10, and Sam McClure, JD ’17, takes a win-win-win approach to teaching SLS students about what it means to be a lawyer for a sustainability-focused startup.

Read More : Law course is a win-win-win for students, startups, and the planet