Note for Parents
- What is the Parent's Role?
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No parent wants to see their child in trouble, and legal trouble can be a particularly stressful type of trouble to be in. We understand that a student’s legal issue can affect not just them but also their family, who wants to see them flourish in life and not see their academic or job prospects disrupted. Student Legal Services strives to approach students’ cases with dedication to helping them avoid interruptions in their progress, and with caring for their particular circumstances.
Due to this approach, we understand that parents are concerned about their students, especially when their students are new adults out of the home for the first time who are not used to adult consequences. We also appreciate that parents will want to help their children through challenging situations, including legal ones.
The parent’s role in such situations is to direct their student to our office for a consultation. Students must schedule the consultation themselves (absent circumstances that impede them doing so). We are beholden to confidentiality and attorney-client privilege, meaning that we cannot share information about a student’s case with their parents without the student’s permission and waiver of that privilege, which the student can discuss with SLS during their consultation.
- How much does SLS cost?
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Our consultations are free, and many legal issues can be resolved out of court. If court intervention is required, we do assess a small charge. Please refer to our fee schedule. Additionally, if court intervention is needed for a civil matter, the student may need to pay filing fees.
- What if We're Not Sure if My Student Needs an Attorney?
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Since our consultations are free, every student is welcome to speak with the SLS attorney just to determine if there is a legal issue at play. We can work with your student to determine if there is a legal issue, if we can help or if we can refer them to other resources.
