News Article

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Owning and running a business isn’t easy, even if you have a great idea and willingness to work hard. So Womble Carlyle and the Mason Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Mason Enterprise Center at George Mason University are providing a helping hand to small business owners of limited economic means.

 

Project Thrive helps qualified small business owners address the legal challenges involved in a new business venture and throughout a business’ life cycle – from forming a corporate entity to negotiating a lease. Through this program, Womble Carlyle lawyers provide eligible entrepreneurs and business owners with advice and resources, free of charge, to overcome legal roadblocks and to resolve business problems.

 

Mason SBDC identifies eligible clients for Project Thrive through the counseling services it provides to area small businesses and entrepreneurs in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William Counties.  The Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center assisted in the development of Project Thrive by bringing together Womble Carlyle and the Mason SBDC when Womble Carlyle approached the Pro Bono Law Center and expressed interest in assisting with Northern Virginia’s local economic development. 

 

“We understand that the legal barriers to starting and growing a small business can be overwhelming,” said Womble Carlyle attorney Lesley Whitcomb Fierst, a co-founder of Project Thrive. “We hope to help entrepreneurs overcome those barriers and bring their business dreams to life.”

 

“Impactful entrepreneurial growth requires a variety of key skills and resources,” says Mason SBDC Assistant Director Mona Olsen. “Our team is thrilled to engage in value-adding partnerships for our clients to further impact the regional economy.”

 

Womble Carlyle lawyers are providing pro bono assistance to qualified entrepreneurs in the following areas:

Interested business owners can apply for Project Thrive assistance by filling out this simple online form, available at www.wcsr.com/projectthrive.

 

Mason Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Mason Enterprise Center at George Mason University provides one-on-one counseling services to small businesses in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William Counties at no cost thanks to the generosity of its sponsors. Mason SBDC is funded through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Small Business Administration, Virginia SBDC Network, and George Mason University-Mason Enterprise Center. For more information, visit www.masonsbdc.org/.

 

 

Womble Carlyle is a full-service business law firm with a focus on innovative solutions to client needs. The firm supports the Association of Corporate Counsel in the ACC Value Challenge, which seeks to better align legal services with the needs of corporate clients.

The firm is located in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions, and serves clients nationally and globally, with more than 500 attorneys in eleven offices: Atlanta, GA; Greenville, SC; Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, and Winston-Salem, NC; Washington, DC; Tysons Corner, VA; Baltimore, MD; and Wilmington, DE.

 

In the community, the firm is the first law firm to receive the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Corporate Leadership Award as well as the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Freedom Award. For more information, visit www.wcsr.com.