The Intellectual Property Clinic gives students hands-on experience helping clients protect their brands, creative work, and innovations through supervised legal practice.
Intellectual Property Legal Clinic
Message from the Clinic Director
Welcome to the Intellectual Property Clinic at North Carolina Central University School of Law. Our clinic is dedicated to expanding access to intellectual property (IP) protection for innovators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, particularly those from underrepresented and underserved communities from all 50 states.
Through our United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)-certified Patent and Trademark Clinics, law students work directly with real clients under faculty supervision to secure patent and trademark rights. This hands-on experience not only equips our students with practical legal skills but also empowers creators to protect and commercialize their ideas.
Our mission is twofold: to train the next generation of IP attorneys and to promote innovation by removing barriers to intellectual property protection. To date, the clinic has assisted clients in obtaining patents and successfully navigating the trademark registration process, contributing to economic growth and innovation in our community.
We are proud of the impact our students and clients make together, and we look forward to continuing to serve as a bridge between legal education and meaningful community engagement.
Mimi Afshar
Clinic Director and Supervising Attorney
Student Information
Through the Intellectual Property Clinic, students work with real clients on patent and trademark matters under faculty supervision. Students gain practical experience reviewing, revising, and preparing filings with the USPTO while applying concepts learned in intellectual property coursework to real-world legal issues.
The Intellectual Property Clinic is a for-credit experiential course with a small, intensive cohort structure. Each clinic section, Patent Clinic and Trademark Clinic, is limited to six students, allowing for close supervision, individualized mentorship, and meaningful hands-on experience.
Info Accordions
- Work directly with real clients on patent and trademark matters under faculty supervision
- Help clients move ideas, brands, and business goals closer to protection through USPTO-related filings
- Assist new clients and pro se applicants with reviewing, revising, and preparing patent and trademark materials
- Build practical skills in client interviewing, counseling, legal analysis, drafting, filing preparation, and matter management
- Learn how to translate complex intellectual property concepts into clear, client-centered advice
- Receive close guidance and feedback in a small clinic setting designed for hands-on learning
- Develop professional judgment through ethical decision-making, confidentiality, timely communication, and careful written work
- Gain experience that connects classroom learning to the real practice of intellectual property law
Through participation in the Intellectual Property Clinic, students will:
- Apply intellectual property law concepts to real client matters involving patent and trademark issues
- Work with new clients and individuals who previously filed patent or trademark applications pro se
- Review, revise, and prepare filings with the USPTO
- Conduct client intake and counseling with professionalism, clarity, and sound judgment
- Analyze client goals, legal issues, USPTO requirements, and relevant intellectual property materials
- Develop problem-solving skills through case planning, legal analysis, drafting, and client-centered representation
- Communicate clearly and professionally with clients, faculty supervisors, supervising attorneys, and the USPTO
- Demonstrate ethical judgment, including confidentiality, competence, diligence, and professionalism
- Manage client matters from intake through filing under faculty supervision
- Expand access to intellectual property services within the community
- Completion of the first year of law school
- Completion of, or concurrent enrollment in, a foundational intellectual property. course, such as Patent Law or Trademark Law
- Interview with the supervising attorney
- Selection through the Clinic’s application process
Students enrolled in the Intellectual Property Clinic are expected to conduct themselves professionally in communications with clients, faculty, supervising attorneys, and the USPTO. Students are also expected to maintain client confidentiality, comply with applicable ethical obligations, meet deadlines, arrive prepared for clinic-related meetings and discussions, and produce clear, accurate, and timely written work.
Potential Client Information and Clinic Services
Prospective clients interested in assistance should email [email protected] to request the appropriate Request for Service form for either the Patent Clinic or the Trademark Clinic. After the completed form is submitted, the IP Clinic will review the request and may contact eligible clients to schedule an intake meeting, depending on Clinic capacity and the nature of the requested services.
The IP Clinic does not accept new clients during the summer term. During the summer, the Clinic focuses on pending matters and ongoing client representation.
Info Accordions
Services provided by the Intellectual Property Clinic may include:
- Patent-related client intake and case assessment
- Trademark-related client intake and case assessment
- Review of existing pro se patent or trademark filings
- Legal research and analysis
- Client counseling
- Preparation and revision of USPTO filings
- Drafting supporting documents related to patent and trademark matters
- Communication with clients regarding filing strategy, requirements, and next steps
The Clinic’s representation is limited to United States filings and does not include litigation matters. Trademark services are limited to filing and registration matters and do not extend to post-registration maintenance or enforcement proceedings.
Where a client’s needs fall outside the Clinic’s scope or expertise, referrals may be made to other legal service providers or clinics when appropriate.
The Intellectual Property Clinic may assist:
- Individual inventors
- Entrepreneurs
- Small businesses
- Startups
- Pro se applicants seeking help reviewing, revising, or improving prior filings
- Individuals and communities with limited access to intellectual property legal services
Clinic Highlights
The Intellectual Property Clinic has a strong track record of outcomes, including multiple issued patents and successfully registered trademarks for clinic clients. The Clinic has also supported strong career outcomes, with student experience contributing to positions at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and intellectual property law firms.
Info Accordions
The Intellectual Property Clinic helped NCCU Music Lecturer Robert Trowers secure a patent for an innovative brass instrument mouthpiece accepted by the USPTO on its first submission. The matter gave clinic students hands-on experience with patent preparation, filing, and prosecution while supporting creativity and innovation within the NCCU community.
Contact Information
Info Accordions
For information regarding clinic services or eligibility requirements, please contact the NCCU Intellectual Property Legal Clinic:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 919-530-7166
We are committed to providing professional, community-centered service and responding to inquiries in a timely manner.