Commonwealth Campus Program
Student Legal Services was established at University Park in 2010 to protect the rights of students, provide students with access to the judicial system, and educate students about legal issues. The service was expanded in 2021 to include Commonwealth Campus students. The office is funded by the Student Initiated Fee, and there is no further cost for services for eligible students who utilize the service. Campuses that do not participate in the Student Initiated Fee may also opt into the program by contributing equivalent funding.
Students at the following campuses are eligible for services:
- Abington
- Altoona
- Beaver
- Berks
- Brandywine
- DuBois
- Erie, the Behrend College
- Fayette
- Greater Allegheny
- Great Valley
- Harrisburg
- Hazleton
- Lehigh Valley
- Mont Alto
- New Kensington
- Schuylkill
- Scranton
- Shenango
- Wilkes-Barre
- York
Students enrolled in graduate programs (PhD and Master's) at the College of Medicine are also eligible for services.
Types of Services
We provide consultations, document preparation, educational programs and referral information. The level of service we can provide depends on the facts and circumstances of the individual case.
Consultation
We provide consultations on a wide variety of legal issues in both criminal and civil matters. All our attorneys are licensed in Pennsylvania and can only provide advice on Pennsylvania law.
Document Preparation
We offer an array of document preparation services. We can draft simple wills, powers of attorney and living wills, and we can help students complete paperwork such as expungement petitions.
Education
We offer free presentations to student groups or organizations on legal topics of interest including game-style presentations on landlord-tenant law, police encounters, and scams.
Presentations can be delivered in person or virtually.
Referral
In some situations, our office can only provide referrals to other attorneys or services. These include matters where there is a conflict of interest, where the issue falls outside the capability, qualifications, or experience of our attorneys, or where the matter would overwhelm our capacity and reduce the availability of services to a large number of students.
Conflicts of Interest and Other Limitations on Services
We'd love to help everyone all the time, but we have to follow the ethics rules that are established by our profession. If we have a conflict of interest or other limitation on service, we are only able to provide referral information and general information.
