UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) — Penn State Law students are getting real life experience while helping potential clients across the state with legal paperwork.

The Entrepreneur Assistance Clinic allows current students the opportunity to represent local entrepreneurs and startups in a setting similar to a small law firm.

The clinic is directed by Penn State Law Professor Tom Sharbaugh, who founded the organization.

Students are given the opportunity to provide pro bono services to early stage businesses.

“Law schools you could go the whole three years and never meet a client, never do something that you’d do again,” Sharbaugh said. “So these clinics that law schools have give students the opportunity to actually do practical work for real clients.”

The clinic has an additional focus on underserved entrepreneurs and provides free services to rural small businesses in the area.

“Our client base is typically from what’s called the ‘rural T’ of Pennsylvania,” Sharbaugh said. “In the middle and top of the state, there aren’t a lot of lawyers. Particularly ones that have enough work going on that they can do work for free.”

The clinic is operated through entrepreneurial outreach program, Invent Penn State. Interested businesses can be considered for assistance by emailing the organization at invent@psu.edu.