A $500,000 gift from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck will expand access to transactional legal services for small businesses and nonprofits across Colorado while providing hands-on training for law students at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
The gift supports the school’s Community Economic Development Clinic and includes a scholarship component.
At the clinic, law students work with clients under faculty supervision on matters such as entity formation, contract drafting, regulatory compliance and intellectual property. Over
the past three years, the clinic has served more than 75 clients, including startups, small businesses and nonprofit organizations.
“Endowing DU’s Community Economic Development Clinic in perpetuity is an opportunity for us to give back to the institution that helped shape many of our attorneys,” said Adam Agron, a Brownstein shareholder and DU trustee.
For Brownstein managing partner Rich Benenson, the investment reflects both the firm’s daily work and broader mission. “As a firm deeply rooted in transactional work, public policy and economic development, we see this clinic as a natural extension of what we do every day, helping organizations navigate complex legal and business challenges so they can grow and strengthen their communities,” he said.
Access to transactional legal services can significantly affect outcomes for early-stage ventures. “The barrier isn’t a lack of vision. It’s the inability to afford the legal support needed to structure, protect and grow responsibly,” Benenson explained. “When those barriers are removed, the chances of long-term success increase dramatically.”
The gift marks Brownstein’s third major investment in the law school, following earlier support for scholarships and fellowships.
“This gift supports practice-ready experiential learning and creates an enduring connection between the Sturm College of Law and Brownstein,” Agron said.
The investment will provide steady funding to sustain and grow the clinic’s work, according to Bruce Smith, dean of the Sturm College of Law. In response to rising demand for services and student interest, the program plans to double its student participants from nine to 18.
The scholarship component of the gift is intended to reduce financial barriers for students in the time-intensive program.
“Clinics like the Community Economic Development Clinic help address gaps in access to legal services,” Smith said, noting that many clients at the clinic would not otherwise engage an attorney. He added that the experience students gain through the clinic — from assisting startups in forming legal entities to guiding nonprofits with their tax-exempt status — is difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom.
The program also includes community workshops and outreach on topics such as entrepreneurship, compliance and intellectual property, as well as initiatives focused on reentry and workforce development.