FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AARON WRIGHT ’05 TO DIRECT NEW TECH STARTUP CLINIC AT CARDOZO LAW
May 23, 2014 – NEW YORK, NY – Today, Dean Matthew Diller announced the appointment of Aaron Wright as the director of Cardozo Law’s newly-created Tech Startup Clinic. The Tech Startup Clinic is a transactional legal clinic offering services to New York City tech companies starting in the fall.
Professor Wright is a Cardozo alumnus who co-founded the highly successful wiki-based company ArmchairGM, a sports database that was sold to Wikia in 2006. At Wikia, he managed the New York office and served as general counsel and vice president of product and business development. He comes to Cardozo from Jenner & Block, where he was an associate in the Content, Media & Entertainment Group, representing media and technology companies.
“We are very fortunate to have Aaron join us as we aggressively expand Cardozo’s programs in tech and data law,” said Dean Matthew Diller. “The New York City tech sector is full of opportunities for new lawyers, and Aaron’s knowledge and experience will provide our students with the tools needed to take on careers in this growing field.”
Professor Wright was previously a law clerk for United States District Judge William J. Martini and an associate at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, and Jones Day. Professor Wright is a 2005 cum laude graduate of Cardozo, where he served as editor in chief of the Cardozo Law Review and was selected to the Order of the Coif.
The Tech Startup Clinic will expose students to the myriad legal and business strategy challenges that start-ups face, and give them hands-on experience with intellectual property, corporate, contract, tax, and labor and employment issues. In representing clients, students will be exposed to and learn about the legal issues that start-ups face. They will focus on the various challenges the company may encounter, from formation and seed and angel funding to intellectual property and operational issues.
Like the recently announced Cardozo Data Law Initiative (CDLI), the Tech Startup Clinic is part of the school’s effort to prepare lawyers to deal with the ways in which the technological revolution is changing legal practice. The clinic will provide a needed public service that will help advance the tech sector in New York, and is an additional offering in Cardozo’s long list of stellar clinical opportunities.
“As start-ups develop, they often have to make legal decisions that can be tricky for new businesses,” said Wright. “They have to think about protecting their intellectual property, building a corporate culture, and structuring the company. Students will learn how to help start-ups navigate these challenges, and provide legal advice and counsel.”
For more information contact:
John DeNatale
Assistant Dean of Communications
212.790.0237
Jacqueline Reeves
Assistant Director of Communications
212.790.0837
