Recommended Citation
Jennifer S. Fan, Coming of Age: Innovation Districts and the Role of Law Schools, 22 CLINICAL L. REV. 91 (2015), https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/faculty-articles/598
Keywords
innovation districts, entrepreneurship, law schools, legal education, clinical education, transactional law, incubators, cultivators, technology transfer, urban development, neighborhoods, startups, spin-outs
Document Type
Article
Abstract
New urban models, dubbed “innovation districts” are gaining traction in entrepreneurial-focused areas across the United States. This article begins by defining what innovation districts are. It then examines the potential role that law schools, together with technology transfer offices, can play as innovation cultivators within such districts. Specifically, it looks at three potential models that law schools can consider when contemplating a relationship with the technology transfer office within a university. Integrating a clinic and technology transfer office within an innovation district does not come without its challenges, however. Accordingly, this article will suggest ways for transactional law clinics to overcome such obstacles and establish a robust relationship with technology transfer offices. The collaboration between these two innovation cultivators, in turn, will benefit not only the law schools and technology transfer offices, but the innovation districts as well. Ultimately, transactional law clinics and technology transfer offices can play a significant role by providing technical and legal know-how to innovation districts.