Student Legal Service

What is the program’s mission statement or statement of purpose? Why does the program exist?

The mission of Student Legal Service is “to assist students identifying and resolving their legal problems so they can make the most of their educational opportunities. If a legal problem threatens to interfere with the effectiveness of a student, the Student Legal Service can help the student to resolve or minimize that problem.” The program exists to provide legal advice, direction, and legal representation to university students.

How does the program mission align with the university mission?

The main goal of the university is to help students receive a quality education. However, legal situations may arise during a student’s career at the university. Students who are experiencing legal problems are less likely to be fully engaged in their academic pursuits. Student Legal Service provides students with the legal information and guidance they need to help resolve their concerns and focus on what’s most important – their education.

Whom does the program serve?

Students who have full-time status are our primary constituents, and are entitled to services through their enrollment fees. Students are served through office appointments, court representation, phone calls, and email. Often times parents/family may benefit from our services being available to their son/daughter. On occasion, faculty and staff of the university access our services for notarization of legal documents.

What are the services provided? How do these services align with the university mission and program mission?

The staff attorney provides legal advice and direction on any topic, and court representation on a variety of cases. The staff attorney is subject to professional ethics. In accordance with those professional ethical responsibilities the attorney is sworn to preserve the confidence of a client.  This rule applies equally to those persons that work with the attorney. The attorney assigned to your case is obligated to zealously represent your interests within the bounds of the law. The attorney at Student Legal Service will at all times exercise independent, professional judgment in assessing the merits of a particular matter.

The subject matters most commonly dealt with include: off-campus landlord-tenant issues; violations of municipal ordinances (especially alcohol related offenses such as underage drinking and possession of fake ID’s); violations of state criminal statutes; roommate problems (especially where a roommate leaves an off-campus dwelling and does not pay the remaining rent/utility obligations); violations of University rules and regulations (advice only); and document interpretation and notarization.

Representation of students in court is limited essentially to off-campus landlord-tenant cases, misdemeanors, and municipal ordinance violations. The staff attorney is not permitted to represent a student in court for the following specific types of legal matters: serious criminal cases; divorce cases; bankruptcy cases; workman’s comp. cases; and automobile accident cases. However, students with these type of cases are always encouraged to speak to the staff attorney for advice or referral to a local attorney.

If the legal problem cannot be handled by the Student Legal Services, the staff attorney can assist the student in understanding the problem and giving direction to other legal resources that can help.

The staff attorney cannot represent a student in any matter against the University, or against another student.

Describe the program’s origins (e.g. year established, purpose, expectations).

Student Legal Service was started August of 1980, with a staff of one full-time attorney and secretary. That organizational structure remains in place to date.

How has the unit changed or adapted over time?

The primary nature of the program is to address student legal problems.  With minor adjustments to policies and procedures as became necessary or desirable, that role has remained in place to date.  
    
The Student Legal Service program has grown in its awareness that it serves not only the stark legal issues students can experience, but also serves to bring comfort to, and concern for, the students, and their personal plight.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program’s history and relevance to university mission.

Provide data, if available, on the numbers of students, faculty, staff, or others served by the program during the past four years. If no data are available, please estimate the numbers served annually.

During the past four fiscal years, Student Legal Service has recorded 4,073 student clientele contacts including court representation, appointments, phone calls, and emails.  Legal matters discussed with students include landlord/tenant issues (condition of premises, security deposits, lease, roommate, and sublease), bankruptcy, civil matters, consumer, criminal, domestic/family, employment, personal injury, university judicial, and miscellaneous legal advice.

Does the program offer any co-curricular opportunities for students (e.g., internships, RSO support, service-learning activities)? Please describe.

Student Legal Service does not provide any co-curricular opportunities for students. 

Does the program contribute to the delivery of academic programs (e.g., providing professional expertise, serving as adjunct faculty)? Please describe.

The Student Legal Service program is strictly a service offered to university students when legal advice or representation is needed.  Most years the SLS attorney is contacted by professors or teaching staff to serve on forums or give presentations to classes on legal issues (e.g. landlord-tenant situations) pertinent to students.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the internal demand for the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., curriculum changes made by another program) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Is the program accredited or approved by a recognized external agency or otherwise certified to meet established professional standards? Provide an executive summary of and link to the program’s most recent accreditation or certification report, if available.

The State of Illinois requires that all attorneys practicing law within the state be registered with the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission ("ARDC").  The mission of the ARDC is to promote and protect the integrity of the legal profession, at the direction of the Supreme Court, through attorney registration, education, investigation, prosecution and remedial action.  The staff attorney is registered with the ARCD and yearly meets state requirements for continuing legal education.

Is the program required to meet any regulatory or legal requirements? Is the program subject to any special auditing requirements?

The program is not required to meet regulatory or legal requirements other than stated above and is not subject to special auditing requirements.

What are the most important outreach or public service activities supported by the program?

Student Legal Service is a program offered to full time university students in need of legal representation.  SLS program was created and designed to solely serve university students.  For this reason SLS currently does not have any outreach or public service activities.

How do the local community and the region benefit from the program?

Student Legal Service is not involved in any community or regional programs.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the external demand for the program.

What are the two or three more important measureable outcomes tracked to assess program quality? Does the program conduct an outcomes assessment, and if so, what has been the impact?

Client Satisfaction Evaluation -  Student Legal Service regularly assesses the quality of service received in the program through an evaluation questionnaire.  The survey, mailed to all new clientele each semester, assesses opinions regarding service provided, staff’s interest and concern regarding the client’s problem/question, availability of the service, would the client use the legal service program again, overall rating of the program, and a section for general comments.  Results have been used to assure legal services addresses areas pointed out by student assessment forms.

What are the two or three most effective best practices that the program has implemented? What benefits have been gained from implementing these best practices?

1.  Improving staff efforts to be comforting to students, and good listeners when students voice their frustrations, fears, and confusion over having legal problems.
    
2.  Maintaining thorough records and files on each legal case.

What external recognitions (e.g., awards, accommodations, professional certifications, references in trade publications) have the program and its staff received in the past three years?

Because the legal service is sworn to confidentiality, and provides its services on such a personal level with each student, the program does not engage in the usual activities that stir recognition publically.

Is the program active with any regional, national, or international professional organizations?

The staff attorney maintains yearly membership with the Illinois Bar Association and the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.  Office personnel are certified through the State of Illinois as a Notary Public.

The staff attorney is also involved with the continuing legal education systems in Illinois. 

Note any presentations, publications, or offices held in the last three years.

Legal issues presentations for Home Economics classes at Klehm Hall, EIU.
Served on panel for housing legal issues forum from time to time.
Served on panel for Capital Punishment forum.

If needed, provide supplemental comments or data sources to help the reader understand the quality of program outcomes.

Note any special benefits (e.g., personnel support, equipment, permanent improvements) that the program has received in the past three years from its grants and other sponsored programs.

Student Legal Service does not receive funds through grants or other sponsored programs.

How does the program benefit from donor gifts (e.g., scholarships, endowed chairs)? Does donor support provide a significant percentage of the program’s overall funding?

Student Legal Service does not receive funds through donor gifts.

List two or three key relationships that the program maintains with external constituencies (e.g., community colleges, other universities, government bodies). How do these relationships advance the university mission or otherwise benefit the university?

Staff attorney has contacts with other Illinois university Student Legal Service programs.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the resources generated by the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., revenue pass-throughs) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

Student Legal Service relies on student fee income to provide the income to keep the program operational.  The program’s budget has been unable to keep pace with the declining student fee income since that income is tied directly to enrollment.

Provide an executive summary of and link to any metrics or benchmarks that the program tracks to measure productivity.

Student clientele contact (court appearances, phone calls, emails and appointments) is logged daily.  Annual utilization statistics are reported in both the fall and annual report submitted to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

What initiatives has the program implemented to enhance staff productivity (e.g., access to training, workflow improvements)? Briefly describe the costs and benefits of these initiatives.

The Student Legal Service attorney is required by the State of Illinois to participate in 30 hours of continuing legal education each year to maintain a license to practice law.  The education hours are obtained by attending conferences or participating in webinars, or purchasing continuing legal education programs on-line or educational cds.
    
The SLS office manager will take opportunity to participate in on-line, free, or campus training opportunities.  Due to our decreasing budget our program is very limited in additional continuing education for staff.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the productivity of the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., accreditation requirements, curricular changes, program restructuring) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the costs associated with the program. Note any clarifications or special circumstances (e.g., expenditures made centrally or externally, expenditures made on behalf of other units) that should be considered when reviewing the above data.

How does the program seek to distinguish itself from similar programs at other institutions?

At Eastern Illinois University, the main goal is to help students receive a quality education. Unfortunately, legal situations may arise during a students career that can cause distraction from this primary focus.  The program takes pride in helping students and providing the legal information and guidance they need to help resolve their concerns and focus on what's most important - their education.

Note any unique and/or essential contributions that the program makes to the university.

The program was created to make available legal assistance to the thousands of university students who, because of economic inability, would otherwise be unable to participate in the due process system.

Provide any program-specific metrics that help to document program contributions or program quality. Examples of some commonly used program-specific metrics may be found here.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand the program impact on the university mission.

Provide a link to or listing of the program’s goals and/or strategic plan.

FY14 goals

• New ideas on advertising our program services to better inform the student body.  
• Publish monthly “legal” column in the Daily Eastern News.  Topic examples: land lord/tenant issues; drinking related cases (DUI, underage drinking tickets, fake identification); misdemeanors; etc.

What role will the program have in the implementation of the university’s strategic plan (provide link to strategic plan)?

Every student service program is intended to meet the various student needs in a particular fashion.  Legal Services seeks to do its part, within the larger university picture, to be available to help the student population have a positive experience while attending the university.

In the next two or three years, what best practices, improvements in operations, or other opportunities to advance the university’s mission are likely to be implemented?

Staff will continue to stay current with the many changes to the law our legislators enact, what implications they have to the student legal issues, and how best to implement legal representation accordingly.

If needed, provide supplemental comments to help the reader understand future opportunities for the program.