Objective
The initiative is designed to equip Bentley community members with essential knowledge, including answers to fundamental questions, and access to legal expertise that they can draw upon as they pursue and build their entrepreneurial ventures while maintaining compliance with university constraints and legal boundaries. This page serves as a resource for students seeking guidance on entrepreneurship-related legal issues. This includes compiled resources, information sessions, one-on-one with external legal professionals and experienced consultants.
Prepare and Participate
Student teams developing their start-up ventures need to appreciate that each start-up venture must deal with a number of legal considerations. While it is tempting to "leave it to the lawyers," as an entrepreneur, the student teams should (a) understand key issues as they navigate the legal landscape, (b) prepare themselves to ask the right questions to ensure smooth operations, and (c) know when and how to seek help from legal experts for complex issues. Every early-stage venture must navigate important legal steps from choosing a business structure to managing contracts, tax implications, intellectual property, and compliance. While legal experts can provide guidance, it is essential for student entrepreneurs to understand the fundamentals and prepare themselves before seeking individualized help.
Legal Assistance Pathway: Step-by-Step
1. Self-Study
Student teams begin by accessing Cooley GO, the online platform from Cooley LLP that offers an extensive set of startup-focused legal resources including guides and document templates covering entity formation, option plans, choice of entity types, ownership structure, and more.
This first step ensures teams:
Understand foundational legal concepts such as business entity types, shareholder agreements, and regulatory risks.
Explore and download templates they can adapt for their venture (LLC etc.).
Prepare relevant questions and clarify their legal needs before proceeding to expert guidance.
By completing the self-study, teams arrive at the next phase with context and confidence, ready to engage in deeper sessions with Cooley.
The E-Hub has also compiled a set of external resources and templates for several legal topics that you can draw upon. These include topic such as forming a business or handling intellectual property concerns, and several others. Clicking on these links will redirect you away from the Bentley website. Bentley University does not guarantee the accuracy or applicability of external resources. Please note the Disclaimers as you explore these resources.
Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
Business Division - provides guidance on registering a business in Massachusetts, filing annual reports, and maintaining compliance.
Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Tax Information for Businesses New to Massachusetts - provides checklists, guidance on registration
Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC)
Services - provides no-cost and confidential business advising, technical assistance, and low-cost training programs to prospective and existing small businesses throughout the Commonwealth
Mass.gov
Professional Licenses & Permits - for certain professions, you need a license to practice in Massachusetts. Here you can learn about licensng requirements for the state.
Starting a Business in Massachusetts - provides a step-by-step guide
As an international student or scholar, you face an additional set of considerations if you are interested in pursuing entrepreneurship as a career path. The E-Hub has collaborated with Center for International Students and Scholars (CISS) at Bentley to generate additional resources that would be of help to international students and scholars.
Resources for International Students pursuing Entrepreneurship (hosted by CISS at Bentley)
2. Information Sessions
During the year, the E-Hub will host two Information Sessions led by external legal counsel, including Bentley alumni and friends of Bentley. These information sessions will offer general information and guidance on common legal issues faced by entrepreneurs. These include alternatives for business entities, processes for business entity formation, understanding and registering with regulatory and tax authorities, developing contracts for vendors and employees, understanding different forms of intellectual property, developing strategies for protecting intellectual property, building plans for protecting equity interests of founders and co-founders and more. These information sessions are not intended to provide individual legal advice to any students or student teams.
Upcoming Information Sessions
| Session | Date | Purpose | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Session ( 60-90 mins) | TBD - Jannuary 2026 | Cooley Go |
| Session | Date | Purpose | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Hours for Entrepreneurship Teams | April 23 and 24 | Office hours to get answers to specific questions related to building a startup. See the calendar below to sign up. | External Counsel (Cooley LLP) |
| Information Session for Aspiring Entrepreneurs | April 2 | Provide an overview of considerations and possibilities for anyone building their startup. This information session is only in-person, with two attorneys visiting the Bentley campus in-person. No Zoom option. | External Counsel (Cooley LLP) |
| Information Session for International Students | March 26 | Provide an overview of immigration considerations and possibilities for international students interested in pursuing the entrepreneurship path in the US. This session follows a hybrid format (although in-person attendance is encouraged, you may also attend on Zoom). | Attorney Aaron Blumberg from Fragomen and Associates and Susannah Marcucci, Director, CISS |
3. Cooley Office Hours – Sign Up
Before attending office hours, student teams complete a brief readiness review to ensure they have explored resources on Cooley Go and identified the specific questions they want to address. Once this step is completed, teams may sign up for Cooley’s virtual office hours, where they can receive tailored guidance from legal experts on early-stage legal topics.
Next step
This page is a summary of important considerations and jump-off point for additional exploration, not a comprehensive reference.
Prepared by Dr. Purao, Director, E-Hub
With input and feedback from Jim Burnham, Bentley Alum '80.
Last Updated: Nov 24, 2025