Welcome from the Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship & the Law

As a student, one of the myriad opportunities you will have at Pepperdine is the chance to apply for acceptance into the Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law (the "Palmer Center"), an innovative 12-unit certificate program now in its fourteenth full year of operation, emphasizing education and the practice of entrepreneurship.

Become a Fellow

One of the first programs of its kind in the nation, the Palmer Center, founded in the fall of 2000, provides a complementary addition to the high-caliber programs available at Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law and is unique in its approach to the dual focus on entrepreneurship and law. Recognizing that many law students seek to pursue alternative career paths, the Palmer Center provides its students (called "Fellows") with the necessary education and training to succeed in the fields of business, finance, real estate, entertainment, intellectual property, technology, and social entrepreneurship.

Find a Mentor

The Palmer Center has received acclaim from leading professionals and entrepreneurs worldwide for its visionary, multi-disciplinary approach to legal education. As part of the regular "Lunch and Learn" events that provide Palmer Fellows the opportunity to speak one-on-one with notable leaders and professors, the Alternative Careers in Law Panel enables Fellows to learn from alumni about alternative career paths that one may pursue with a law degree.

Network with Entrepreneurs and their Lawyers

Upon being accepted into the program, Palmer Center Fellows are introduced to a dynamic curriculum and related conferences like the "Intellectual Property Panel", done in conjunction with the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association (LAIPLA). Another example is the Drone Entrepreneurship Conference, hosted by the Palmer Center, held in Silicon Beach, home to as many as 500 startups, incubators and business accelerators with an expert panel of speakers from startups, venture capitalists and leading law firms. Fellows may take courses in emerging fields of law, multimedia and entertainment law, real estate, and a full complement of intellectual property and business courses, such as accounting and finance for lawyers, mergers and acquisitions, and financing for high-tech start-ups. In addition, Palmer Center Fellows are involved in planning for entrepreneurship events such as "Palmer Center Career Panel", and the annual SEER (Social, Ethical, & Environmental Responsibility) Symposium – "Positive Entrepreneurship: The heart of SEER thinking".

Learn Practical Skills

Fellows are exposed to the practical aspects of Entrepreneurship. As part of the Entrepreneurship Practicum taken in their final year of law school, Fellows are taught by a series of professionals in venture capital, finance, intellectual property, corporate executives and practicing attorneys with actual cases and experiences, from which the students are tasked to prepare, present and defend business plans, recommended solutions to challenges and problems and hear from the principals involved. The Palmer Center also provides student entrepreneurs with introductions for financing their business ideas as well as supplementary services, such as website consultants or attorneys. Together with the Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine, the Palmer Center has co-sponsored the Pepperdine Business Plan Competition, which provides students with the chance to win seed funding for their proposed businesses.

Make a Difference

The Palmer Center goes beyond more traditional entrepreneurship programs through its unique strategic alliances with development companies as well as financial institutions. The Palmer Center also has an active and vibrant alumni community and endeavors to pair Fellows with alumni mentors to guide them during their law school experience and entrance into the job market. In a difficult job market, the networking potential offered by the Palmer Center is not only attractive but essential to many graduating Fellows.

Upon graduation from the Caruso School of Law, Palmer Center Fellows possess an essential working knowledge in many different fields and are equipped to pursue careers as lawyers, business consultants, financial strategists, or real estate developers, to name but a few. We hope that you will consider applying for admission to the Palmer Center program before your second year. If you would like more information about the Palmer Center, please visit the Palmer Center website.

Sincerely,

David Feingold
Executive Director,
The Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for
Entrepreneurship & the Law
Pepperdine | Caruso School of Law
(310) 506-4655
david.feingold@pepperdine.edu