New program to equip law students with skills and hands-on experience in corporate law
The Ryerson University Lincoln Alexander School of Law, DMZ, and MT>Ventures have launched a new program to provide strategic legal support to Canadian tech start-ups.
DMZ is Ryerson University’s business incubator for tech start-ups in Canada, equipping the next generation of leading tech entrepreneurs with the tools needed to build, launch, and scale highly impactful start-ups. MT>Ventures is a McCarthy Tétrault LLP division that focuses on providing legal and strategic counsel to start-ups and offering access to a validated suite of services to help entrepreneurs focus on their vision.
The new program aims to support the advancement and commercialization of Canada’s tech start-up ecosystem by providing legal advice and assistance to early-stage tech founders based at the DMZ.
“It’s imperative for start-up founders to formalize their legal processes in the early days of growing their companies, yet sophisticated legal services have long been inaccessible and costly for start-up founders,” the law school said.
Moreover, the program seeks to equip Ryerson law students with skills and hands-on experience in corporate law.
“We are proud to collaborate with the DMZ and MT>Ventures on Startup Legal Support, which was inspired by Nicholas Hill – one of our inaugural law students,” Ryerson law dean Donna Young said. “This program is a testament to our students who are building a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at the law school to tackle novel challenges facing their future clients.”
CharmyPet, a pet food tech company, is one of the start-ups that has received legal support through the new program.
“The start-up legal support program has provided CharmyPet with valuable legal advice and hands-on support in helping draft multiple contracts,” CharmyPet CEO Zach Sheng said. “The program’s law students are talented, and they make legal work easy and accessible for start-ups.”
