Need a lawyer? Rest easy, the Undergraduate Assembly and the Graduate And Professional Student Assembly have reinstated free legal services for Penn students. Legal Services was a project that was first started in the early 1980s, but it has not been active since the spring of 1998 -- mainly because no member wanted to coordinate the service. In its renewed form, the service will provide selected students with a free initial lawyer consultation. Over the summer, UA Technology Chairman Eric Chen, an Engineering junior, decided to revive the project. Chen worked with Office of Student Life Director Fran Walker and lawyer David White, from local law firm Fineman and Bach, in order to bring the program back to Penn. Chen said the need for the continuation of such a program is necessary. "Oftentimes students are under external pressures from impending litigation, troubles at home or at school," Chen said. "Legal Services attempts to help alleviate these pressures." Fellow UA member and College senior Ryan Little has been helping Chen get the project back on its feet. "We recognize that students are vulnerable to a wide range of legal problems that can distract from or impede their studies," Little said. "Legal Services is the UA's and GAPSA's way of looking out for the legal health of the student body." Legal Services is funded mostly by GAPSA and has been since the early 1990s, but the UA also contributes to the lawyers' fees. However, the main role of the UA is to spread the word about the service, approve its budget and, most importantly, help process the applications. Students can apply online at http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~legalsrv, and the UA screens the applicants to decide whether they have a case or not. Fineman and Bach have no direct say in choosing cases. Costs would be covered for the initial consultation, but after that students would have to draft a contract with the firm and pay for services on their own. "We rank it on the basis of need as best as possible," Chen said. Added Little: "We look specifically for legal issues that impact one's student experience or one's ability to continue studying at Penn." Cases in the past included problems specific to the community, such as problems with the city of Philadelphia, as well as disputes involving roommates, insurance claims, wills and accidents. This year the UA committee consists solely of Chen and Little. This will not change unless others express interest in the committee or the number of cases becomes too much for them to handle. However, they do not take on cases that directly involve the University or landlord tenant disputes. If students have problems regarding such issues, they can obtain discounted legal counsel from the Office of Off-Campus Living. Once the UA decides to take a case, the student is scheduled for an appointment with a lawyer, which lasts approximately 30 minutes. The first session was held yesterday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. "There was an extraordinary number of applications submitted during the past week," Chen said. "Students seem to be constantly in need of free legal advise from practicing lawyers." Little said he thinks that students will respond well to the revival of the service. "Students are no different from the rest of society -- accidents happen or unforeseen problems arise and require legal action," Little said. "By bringing lawyers to campus and providing our service free of charge, Legal Services makes life that much easier for students who already face troubled times."
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