SLATE Forms Partnership To Offer Legal Assistance For Entrepreneurs

In order to deliver legal training and counseling to small business owners and entrepreneurs, the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE) has entered into a partnership with Small Business Empowerment Centers (SBEC) and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM). Together, these partners launched a new program in April, the Entrepreneurs' Business Legal Assistance Program (E-BLAP). The program will primarily serve dislocated or laid off workers from the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Through E-BLAP, SBEC and LSEM will help SLATE and the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) serve customers interested in entrepreneurship to start or expand their own small business. The program is able to offer legal workshops and counseling sessions that address such issues as contracts, employment law, and intellectual property, among others. Additional, more focused small business workshops will include such topics as negotiating leases, joint ventures vs. partnerships, W/MBE contracts, bidding and bonding, DBA (doing business as) and others. Most of these services are provided at no cost.

SBEC has long supported local and regional economic development, small business growth, sustainability, and the creation of new businesses. Backed by a unique collaboration between the Small Business Administration (SBA), state and local government, and private sector resources, the SBEC remains one of the nation's largest small business assistance programs.

LSEM is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides legal assistance to the low-income community. It handles civil cases in such areas as family, housing, consumer education, immigration, public benefits, income maintenance and others, and also provides no-cost small business legal assistance to certain qualified entrepreneurs.

Watch for an E-BLAP Calendar of Workshops to be posted soon on SLATE's website at www.stlworks.com. For more information please contact Stacey Fowler, Special Projects Manager, at sfowler@stlworks.com.