Down the street from our office, the Kahl Educational Center is home to classes for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges students, including those enrolled in the EON Virtual Reality academy. Graduating this month and looking for ways to use their new tech skills in the workforce, they have many questions. Christine Powers, IT Workbase Coordinator with EICC, reached out to Lane & Waterman to see if we could host a question and answer session with the students.

Jennifer Fowler, project manager for the student group, explained, “Several of the students are looking to start their own business. Many of us want to make sure we step out of this program with the correct and legal information on how we can use what we have learned in the business world.”

Lane & Waterman’s Kurt Spurgeon, a business and transactional attorney, and April Price, a patent attorney, met with the students to answer their questions about non-compete agreements, contracts, employee vs. contractor distinctions, intellectual property rights, and more.

“These students are poised to do some really cool things in the Quad Cities or wherever they decide to land. It was exciting to play a small role in preparing them for their next steps,” Kurt commented.

Lane & Waterman is proud to partner with many educational institutions to present to entrepreneurial students. April speaks regularly to students at the Rock Island High School IncubatorEDU and Augustana College.