Landlord-tenant disputes can be time consuming and expensive for students to settle, especially for those surviving on minimum wage.

A student can expect to pay anywhere from $125 to $150 per hour for a private lawyer, excluding court fees. If they want experience, however, a student should expect to forfeit at least $250.

This leads many students to one major realization: that while their landlord may have the money to pay for a good lawyer, they don’t have control over the situation.

However, there is an alternative. The University’s Student Legal Services provides low-cost legal assistance and representation to students for a variety of cases, not only landlord tenant disputes but also for misdemeanor criminal cases and traffic violations. The service costs only $7 but goes under-utilized by some students who are not aware of its existence.

While earning their PhD’s at Syracuse University twenty-three years ago, Steven Ludd and a fellow colleague realized that there was a growing need to provide a nonprofit service to students who have found themselves financially incapable of handling legal dilemmas.

“We saw a need there, like I see here. When you live in a college community, there is a limited number of apartments. Normally the market will bear whatever the price is, and if it is not monitored carefully, it can be abused,” Ludd said.

The program was designed to ensure that students were being treated fairly in the way that their security deposits were being returned and by evaluating the kinds of living environments that were being provided by landlords.

Ludd and his colleague created the service at Syracuse University, then brought it to the University in 1982, where a steady flow of cases has since kept it alive.

According to Rodney Fleming, Managing Attorney for Student Legal Services, cost is what keeps the program breathing.

“Students do not have that kind of extra money lying around to pay attorney fees,” Fleming said. “Before, they were basically left with trying to figure out how they can fight these battles when their landlord can afford to pay the $100 to $150 an hour, and this program was what was come up with to combat that.”

Unlike other universities’ student legal service programs, there is no hidden cost. For example, Student Legal Services at University of Colorado has a similar program that charges a $5 fee.

According to their plan, however, if a student goes to court he or she will be charged an additional $175 representation fee. “As far as attorney fees, they are covered by that amount,” Fleming said. “However, nationally there are other programs that operate with a user fee, where there is a minimal fee up front to have some access and then another scheduled fee depending on what you want done, and we have tried to avoid that.”

But in order to avoid adding on those excess fees and still make up for costs associated with doing business in the court, Fleming says it is the reason why Student Legal Services had to raise its fee from $5 this past May.

According to Fleming, the increased fee is worth it for students. “Because everyone pays a little piece of the cost, then we can have attorneys on retainer, it’s like insurance. Everyone pays a little, and if you actually need an attorney, you receive a great benefit.”

Mike Skulina, staff attorney of Student Legal Services, says that another primary advantage of the program is its location.

“Students do not have to walk into town or go out of town to use our services, we’re right here on campus,” Skulina said.

Skulina and Fleming also pointed out that they have more familiarity and insight with the students needs than any attorney in town, whose cliental, they point out, typically ranges from farmers and business people ages 55 to 90.

50 percent of the types of cases Fleming and Skulina deal with are underage consumption, disorderly conduct while intoxicated and drinking and driving. Most of the other cases deal with landlord-tenant disputes and security deposit issues.

“We are limited in what we do here, and those types of cases that we can handle do become second nature to us,” Fleming said. “If you have a private attorney he may practice 50 areas of the law and may not have a particular area of expertise in any one of them.”

Student Legal Services does limit the assistance it can provide to the students. The attorneys are prohibited from handling any cases involving the University or those that take direct action towards the Bowling Green City police.

“Because there is a perceived conflict of interest, we are specifically prohibited with dealing with those types of cases,” Fleming said.

They also do not handle or provide legal advice in cases concerning personal injury, felonies, immigration, estate and probate matters (wills and returns), taxes, bankruptcies and trademark issues.

Fleming points out, however, that although they cannot provide advice in these types of cases, they can refer a student to the appropriate legal council.

“We have our limitations, but I think this program is very successful and helpful to students,” Fleming said. “We are part of a national organization of student legal service providers and are looked upon nationally as a well-respected program. The Bowling Green Court system looks upon us favorably. The police respect it and the landlords respect it.”