Impact Legal Lab 2025
Supporting social enterprises through our Impact Legal Lab
On 22nd September 2025, Social Finance Hot Desk (SFHD) hosted its first ever Impact Legal Lab: a free pro bono legal clinic designed for social enterprises and mission-driven entrepreneurs.
The event brought together leading lawyers from our partner firms, including Reed Smith, Orrick, and A&O Sherman, to provide tailored workshops for social entrepreneurs. The lawyers provided valuable learnings and support on a range of legal topics including debt finance, corporate structures, IP and equity finance.
In addition to the legal sessions, participants had the chance to share learnings and network with fellow entrepreneurs, creating valuable connections that extended beyond the clinic.
Highlights from the day
We supported a diverse group of social enterprises and founders across a wide range of sectors and missions, from climate change to financial inclusivity.
Lawyers provided skills-aligned, practical guidance to help ventures overcome barriers to growth and investment.
The event provided a platform to enable social enterprises to access follow-on pro bono support through the Social Finance Hot Desk.
Why this matters
Access to legal advice is often a significant challenge for early-stage and mission-led organisations. By connecting entrepreneurs directly with experienced lawyers, the clinic helps level the playing field and enables social ventures to focus on driving impact in their communities.
Thank you
We are hugely grateful to our partner law firms and their lawyers for generously volunteering their time and expertise, as well as to our accelerator partners for helping us connect with such inspiring enterprises.
This event was a great success and we look forward to building on this momentum with future editions of the Impact Legal Lab.
👉 Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming clinics on our LinkedIn page and via our newsletter sign up.