UA provides free legal services for students

Everyone knows how complicated the legal system is. And everyone knows how expensive lawyers are. But unfortunately, many do not know the Undergraduate Assembly provides free legal services for undergraduate and graduate students. Through the UA service, students can receive free legal advice for anything except landlord-tenant problems and suits against the University. To get the service, students must fill out a request slip at the UA office in Houston Hall. UA Legal Services Coordinator David Chun said this week that students have used the services for anything from entrepreneurial advice to adoption. He said the lawyer, Richard Tanker, meets students on campus for 30 minutes at a time. The UA pays about $3600 a year for the local lawyer. While the under-publicized legal aid program was started several years ago to service undergraduates, Chun said that over half of the applicants for the service every year are graduate students. This year, only one out of the 20 applicants so far is an undergraduate. "The UA conceived of the idea first to provide basic counseling for undergraduates," Chun said. "And then we didn't want to exclude graduate students." Chun said he plans to ask the Graduate and Professional Students Assembly to pay for half of the services this year, saying "since mostly graduate students are using the service, it is only fair that they pay for half of it." Chun, who signed a new contract with Tanker last night, said the lawyer promised to approach GAPSA as well. GAPSA Chairperson Michael Goldstein said last night his group "will consider" sharing legal expenses with the UA, but said GAPSA's budget for this year has already been set. Goldstein said that since undergraduates receive more money from the University for student services than graduate and professional students, the group may not be willing to pay the legal fees this year. "I would probably mention to the UA that at least for this year, it would be nice if the undergraduate body, in consideration that [undergraduates] receive more money, could pay for the services," Goldstein said. But UA Vice Chairperson Ethan Youderian said this week that if GAPSA does not pay for the services, the UA will not offer them to graduate and professional students anymore. "We have no control over how much money the University gives undergraduates and gives graduate students," Youderian said. "If the graduate students are going to use the legal services they are going to be asked to pay for them." Although the UA has been offering free legal services for several years, many students do not know they can see a lawyer for free. Some students said the service should be better publicized, but added that most students would probably go to a lawyer for help with tenant-landlord issues, which the service does not provide. "It sounds like a good service," College sophomore Chris Roberts said last night. "But undergraduates wouldn't have much use for it besides [that] issue." Chun said the UA holds a forum on tenant-landlord laws every February.

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