Elmm Law Group Opens Applications for Its 2026 Successful Small Business Scholarship

Phoenix personal injury firm will award $1,000 to a student entrepreneur; essay submissions are due December 1, 2026

PHOENIX, AZ, UNITED STATES, August 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Elmm Law Group, a Phoenix-based personal injury law firm, is now accepting applications for its 2026 Successful Small Business Scholarship, a $1,000 award for college students who are building, or preparing to build, a small business of their own.

To apply, students submit an essay describing a unique small business they have started or plan to start after completing their education. Applicants are asked to explain how the idea came about, why they believe the business will succeed, and how they intend to execute it. The scholarship is designed to give aspiring entrepreneurs both financial support and a platform to share their vision.

“Small businesses are the backbone of Arizona’s economy, and behind every one of them is a person who took a risk on an idea,” said Gordana “Gordi” Mikalacki, founder of Elmm Law Group. “We started this scholarship because we want to be part of that first step. Reading these essays every year is a reminder of how much talent and determination there is in this next generation of business owners.”

Meet the 2025 Successful Small Business Scholarship Recipient

The firm’s most recent scholarship went to Katelyn Klein, a Management student and mother who is building Kleinbell Coaching, an independent mediation and co-parenting coaching practice for parents navigating the family court system. Klein’s plan grew directly out of her own decade inside that system, working with judges, lawyers, and mediators across two states and two cases, and often doing it without guidance.

“I want to be a support and an ally in another parent’s life, so they know they aren’t alone,” Klein wrote in her scholarship essay. “I want parents to know they are never alone, and that someone can understand the pain and uncertainty to help them find peace.”

Klein points to a real and growing need: courts routinely direct families to mediation before they ever appear before a judge, and she has seen firsthand, in her own case and in those of friends and family, how much better the outcomes are when parents get help communicating. Her roadmap is concrete: finish her Management degree, complete a mediation certificate and co-parenting coaching coursework, then formally establish the LLC and begin serving clients.

“Katelyn took the hardest chapter of her own life and turned it into a service for other families,” said Mikalacki. “She understands something we see in our own work every day: that people going through a legal crisis are frightened and often alone, and that the right support at the right moment changes everything. That is exactly the kind of entrepreneur this scholarship exists to back.”

Elmm Law Group is proud to support Klein’s continued education and the launch of Kleinbell Coaching.

The firm exclusively handles personal injury matters and works with clients throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area on a contingency fee basis. Its team provides services in English, Spanish, and Serbo-Croatian.

2026 Successful Small Business Scholarship Details

Award: $1,000

Who can apply: College students who have started, or plan to start, a small business

How to apply: Submit an essay describing the business idea, its origin, why it will succeed, and how it will be executed

Deadline: December 1, 2026

Recipient announced: During the month of December

Full details and application: https://getgordi.com/scholarships

Scholarship questions cannot be answered by phone. Please email Scholarships@elmmlawgroup.com with the subject line “Successful Small Business Scholarship.”

About Elmm Law Group

Elmm Law Group is an Arizona-based personal injury law firm dedicated to helping accident victims and their families navigate the legal process with confidence, compassion, and results. Founded by attorney Gordana “Gordi” Mikalacki, a former Arizona Assistant Attorney General, the firm combines extensive litigation experience with a modern, client-centered approach to personal injury representation.

The firm exclusively handles personal injury matters, including car accidents, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, dog bites, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death claims, and other negligence-related cases. Elmm Law Group is committed to providing direct attorney access, clear communication, and personalized legal strategies designed to maximize client outcomes.

Known for its tagline, “Get Gordi.,” Elmm Law Group has recovered millions of dollars for injured clients throughout Arizona while maintaining a strong focus on community involvement, education, and advocacy. Through initiatives such as the annual Backpack to the Future school supply drive, an annual Elmm Law Group Successful Small Business Scholarship, and local partnerships and sponsorships, the firm remains dedicated to making a meaningful impact both inside and outside the courtroom.

Laura L Shin
Elmm Law Group
laura@elmmlawgroup.com
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