The university’s business and innovation support program, Launch Pad, is working with the commercial law and corporate advisory firm to provide businesses with a share of $150,000 in legal advice and support.
Businesses that are members of Launch Pad will be able to access legal advice in the areas of contract law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, tax, intellectual property and dispute resolution.
Since its introduction in 2016, Launch Pad has been supporting Western Sydney based start-ups and existing small to medium enterprises with assistance and resources.
The new initiative, which aims to deliver free and discounted legal services, has already helped about 30 businesses including Guildford based start-up, ProYourWay.
Madison Marcus partner, Stephen Jenkins, helped ProYourWay founder, Dhruv Kohli, with trademarking issues. The support helped the business get off the ground faster and a minimum cost, Mr Kohli said.
“Getting access to a lawyer through Launch Pad for an initial free session and then being able to access services at a discounted rate has saved us a lot of money,” he said.
“It also meant that we could progress things much more quickly than we otherwise would. Stephen has been a great source of advice and support for us as a business that is just starting up.”
Launch Pad senior business advisor, Inu Rana, said Launch Pad’s more than 150 business members came from a diverse range of industries including IT, software, cloud services and manufacturing.
“Launch Pad is a fantastic service initiated by the Western Sydney University that works with start-ups according to their needs,” she said.
“We are able to facilitate access to various networks and grant funding and we are flexible to work with how the business wants to progress but we can help make that progression happen faster.”
Madison Marcus managing director, Bechara Shamieh, described the partnership with Launch Pad as “providing a formidable pathway for entrepreneurs and small to medium enterprises in Western Sydney in need of specialised services”.
Businesses must first apply to join Launch Pad before accessing the free legal advice.
For more information, visit
www.westernsydney.edu.au/launch-pad
