
Seattle is the beating heart of a vibrant entrepreneurial community that pulses with creativity and ingenuity. Learn how to contribute legal expertise to these cutting-edge innovators at Seattle University School of Law’s Summer Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (SITIE — pronounced CITY) where law students can:
Students are encouraged to take the Immersion Course: Lawyering for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Students can also choose from three additional courses on related topics, including artificial intelligence, the role of in-house counsel, and advising start-ups.
3 credits
Mostly in-person. Exceptions are the Symposium, held virtually on June 9.
Dive into an exploration of the major business, legal, and ethical issues at play in technology and innovation businesses and get first-hand experience with some of the business environments responsible for the major recent entrepreneurial successes in the Seattle region and elsewhere.
Students will:
The course curriculum combines lively classroom experiences, policy discussions, intriguing background readings, active reflections, daily film discussions, as well as highly interactive and immersive dialogue with legal practitioners and their clients, all meant to impart the knowledges, skills, and values needed to contribute to ethical entrepreneurial success.
2 credits
Virtual class
All course sessions will be conducted online via Zoom or a similar platform.
This course examines the legal and ethical issues of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and includes the following objectives:
2 credits
Paul Swegle, General Counsel & Secretary, CareXM, PolyVascular, Observa, and Chapterly
Virtual class
All course sessions will be conducted online via Zoom or a similar platform.
Launching a company requires thoughtful decision-making and careful execution of myriad legal and regulatory tasks, all at the speed of business, and with limited resources. This course is about advising entrepreneurs and startups how to build, grow, and finance innovative businesses and how to prevent and address common legal, governance, and regulatory challenges.
The course is split into two sections:
2 credits
Virtual class
All course sessions will be conducted online via Zoom or a similar platform.
Learn the role and responsibilities of an in-house lawyer, a unique position that must understand multiple practice areas and possess a working knowledge of business principles. Students study the legal challenges of a company and work through how best to counsel their internal clients on risks and issues. Each class has guests who are legal and business professionals to help students understand the role from multiple perspectives.
The courses are open to any student in good standing currently enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school (MBA students may be eligible, please inquire for more information).
The four institute courses will be taught by legal experts, drawn from both Seattle University’s full-time faculty, visiting faculty, and leading legal practitioners in specific areas.
Associate Dean Steven Bender is a national academic leader whose research interests coincide with his classroom teaching, which encompasses subjects as diverse as Business Associations, Property, Real Estate Transactions, UCC Secured Transactions, Contracts, and Latina/os and the Law. Read more.
Before he began teaching, Professor Mark Chinen practiced in the areas of international trade, banking and corporate and securities law. He teaches contracts and courses in international law and writes on various aspects of international law, particularly international governance, theology and international law. Read more.
Jennifer is Acting General Counsel at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, where she is the executive leader in charge of all legal affairs. She brings nearly twenty years of solving complex legal issues for high growth, disruptive companies to her role as AI2's principal legal advisor. Read more.
Maja Larson has spent her most of her career building teams and functions in the in-house environment. She is a seasoned business and legal advisor, advising executives at public and private technology and biotechnology companies and not-for-profit corporations. Read more.
Paul has served as general counsel to a dozen companies across several industries, including fintech, financial services, health and medical devices, health and medical data management, e-commerce and natural resources, guiding them across most areas of law and regulation. Read more.
Distinguished Practitioner in Residence Steve Tapia has practiced entertainment, media and intellectual property law for over 30 years. As in-house counsel for DIRECTV Sports Networks, he was the primary contract negotiator for programming and distribution partnerships with the Seattle Mariners and many other teams and conferences. He also served as a Senior Attorney in Microsoft’s Law and Corporate Affairs department, where he advised on open source licensing strategies and policies. Read more.
Seattle U students can begin to register for SITIE courses at their summer registration time (March 21 – 23, 2022). Registration will remain open on a space-available basis until classes begin.
All students from other law schools must complete and submit the following:
The following applies only to the Immersion Course:
All other SITIE courses are subject to Seattle University’s standard summer refund policy. See the Student Handbook (page 64) (PDF) for details.
Seattle University School of Law invites law students from all ABA-accredited law schools to join us for a summer of immersion into entrepreneurship, technology, and cutting edge legal careers.
Friday, June 9, 2023
Sponsored by the Seattle University School of Law Program in Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics; its SITIE institute (Summer Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship); the Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental & Innovation Law (SJTEIL); and Perkins Coie LLP.
Conference schedule (PDF)
Email Steve Bender for more information about the Summer Institute for Technology, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (SITIE).