by Murtaza Sutarwalla, ’06

Twyana Bell, a long-time client of the Institute for Justice Clinic on Entrepreneurship, faced a horrendous family tragedy when gunmen broke into her home in September 2003 and shot her, her fiancé, and her son Tylan Casimir Bell. She was the only survivor.

During her long and painful recovery, Bell decided to create a fashion line for infants and young children dedicated to the memory of Tylan Casimir. With the dream of honoring her son, she embarked on the difficult path of entrepreneurship with the launch of Casimir Wear Inc. Through trade shows and her website, Bell sells customized and predesigned t-shirts, jackets, and hats bearing the trademarked logo of her clothing line.

I first met Bell when I joined the IJ Clinic during my second year at the Law School. The clinic, housed at the Law School’s Kane Center, provides free legal aid to low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs in the Chicago area. Its mission is to provide high quality legal representation on transactional and regulatory matters facing small business clients. In doing so, the IJ Clinic trains law students to be capable advocates for entrepreneurs through hands-on transactional experience.

Over many months working with Bell we have encountered interesting legal issues related to corporate formation, intellectual property, contract drafting, and tax planning. Currently, IJ Clinic students are working on efficiently structuring the new entity that Bell has chosen for her business. Because it was run as a sole proprietorship for several years, we have spent some time working through the changes in business form and operations that the law requires. In addition, IJ Clinic students have spent a considerable amount of time documenting the intellectual property that both Bell (in her individual capacity)and her company own. Since a significant portion of Casimir Wear’s assets are comprised of the firm’s IP, it is essential that clinic students fully understand how accompany protects its intellectual property. One of the most interesting ongoing tasks for me has been auditing the company's website to ensure compliance with state sales tax requirements.

Bell's growing confidence in her business and legal know-how is inspiring. When she speaks during meetings with her team of law students, she often shares her two-part philosophy for Casimir Wear. First, if she is going to take any action, she wants to make sure she is educated and is making the right decision the first time. Second, her personal satisfaction depends on more than just increasing market share or improving her bottom line.

Besides drafting documents, researching the law, and contacting governmental bodies, the most educational aspect of this project for me has been meeting with Bell herself. During these meetings I am able to put a human face to our legal memos, and truly understand how important our work is to our clients’ businesses: we are giving them the tools to succeed.