According to the National Academies of Science Engineering & Medicine, many segments of the population have limited access to jobs, goods, services, health care, recreation, and social interaction because of a lack of transportation options. This can be particularly troublesome when it comes to health and social service access, causing some individuals in need to put off necessary treatment. One population that is particularly at risk: teenagers.

Enter Modus. According their website, of the 40,000 teens in Tulsa, OK, 16% (or 6,400) are unable to access health services due to the lack of adequate transportation options. Through its innovative curb-to-curb transportation service, Modus enables young people to get to their medical and social service appointments on time and consistently. Meanwhile, their education arm, ModusEd, trains every high school student at Tulsa Public Schools to use the city’s transit system. Together, Modus and ModusEd increase youth transit use, reduce agency spending on inefficient transportation, and increase youth access to healthcare and social services.

The Lex Mundi member firm for Oklahoma, Crowe & Dunlevy, provided key pro bono legal assistance to help Modus secure its intellectual property so that it can grow and expand its solution throughout Oklahoma and, hopefully, beyond!

“The Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation played a critical role in our organization’s strategic plan by connecting us with Crowe and Dunlevy, a reputable law firm that was familiar with our community and that specialized in the type of legal services we needed the most,” said Leslie Neal, Executive Director of Modus. “Crowe and Dunlevy helped ensure that the integrity of our brand and our innovative technologies are secure, which was an important preliminary step in our organization’s long-term plan that will allow us to expand into other urban areas where transportation acts as a major barrier.”

“Crowe & Dunlevy is honored to have advised a Tulsa-based nonprofit startup with its intellectual property matters, including registering its trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office,” said Shawn M. Dellegar, member of the Crowe & Dunlevy’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. “We wish Modus the best as it continues to grow and make an impact as an innovative change-maker for communities in need.”