Attorney Ilona Koleszar would like to prevent students’ legal troubles before they start, but when they walk into the ASUO Legal Services office, it is often too late.
“By the time somebody gets in here, they usually have some kind of fire that needs to be put out,” she said.
But fortunately for students with legal woes, the Legal Services office is one resource they can turn to for help in putting out those “fires.”
Funded almost entirely by incidental fees, the service is free to anyone who is a registered student at the University.
Last year, Legal Services made about 1,200 new student contacts, said Koleszar, one of two attorneys in the office.
Most of the legal problems she sees can be broken down into what she calls the “big three” — rental agreements, situations involving the court system and family law.
Students sometimes get into trouble when renting an apartment or house because they don’t fully understand the conditions of the lease before they sign it, she said.
Often, she said, students come to her office asking her to help them “break” their lease.
“They’ll get into it thinking if they find a better, less expensive place … they can just leave,” she said.
But what many students don’t understand, she said, is that there is usually a penalty fee for moving out before the lease is up.
Students should be wary of any oral promises not included in the written lease agreement, she said. And she also suggests making a checklist of the condition of the property when it is rented if the landlord doesn’t provide one.
The best way students can prevent legal troubles with renting is to bring in a copy of the lease for one of the attorneys in the Legal Services office to look over before they sign it, she said.
Police citations and criminal charges are another reason students frequently come in for legal help, Koleszar said. Many times, she said, students are surprised when they receive a ticket for something they would have received just a warning for in their hometown.
But in Eugene, as in many other college towns across the country, she said, police have a taken a hard stance on citing students — especially when alcohol is involved.
“Alcohol’s become a very dirty word,” she said. “If there’s any offense [the police] can charge, they will charge it.”
She advises students not to have large parties and not to get kegs. Every weekend, she said, police go to the places that rent kegs and ask for a list of the names and addresses of those who rented. Then, she said, they “visit” the kegs, which makes renting one the equivalent of sending “an engraved invitation to the police.”
Students should also be aware of a new federal law barring anyone with a drug conviction from receiving financial aid, she said. Even possession of less than an ounce of marijuana — considered a misdemeanor in Oregon — is enough to disqualify students from receiving aid for a year after a first conviction, she said.
As a result of a growing number of older students, Koleszar said, she also fields many questions related to marriage and divorce, child support and other family law issues.
Lawyers in the Legal Services office only give advice in situations involving a student and an outside party. They cannot counsel a student against another student, she said. Students who have an issue with the administration are referred to the ASUO Student Advocacy Office.
ASUO President Nilda Brooklyn, who plans to consult Legal Services before working to create a renter’s guide for students later this year, called the office a “vital service” for students.
Senior Derek Johnson agreed. When he had trouble getting his deposit back after moving out of his apartment last year, a letter an attorney in the Legal Services office wrote to his landlord resulted in him getting his money back, he said.
“I think it’s great Legal Services is here to help students,” he said.