Having trouble getting the security deposit back from your landlord? Not sure what to do about a citation? The Off Campus College legal clinic offers students free legal assistance in such situations and many others.
The legal clinic is a composed of nine lawyers that visit campus every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to provide free legal consultations. This service is open to undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff.
According to Mike Fauci, the village attorney for Endicott and a participant in the legal clinic, the most common consultation topic deals with landlord-tenant issues. ‘When a group of students rent one house together, they expose themselves to trouble,’ Fauci said.
Fauci’s advice for student tenants is to go to the OCC office and research any landlord you may get involved with. He suggests that students bring a copy of their lease to an attorney before signing it to make sure that potential tenants are entering into a fair deal.
Subletting issues are also a common topic of discussion at the legal clinic. ‘Subletting is an invitation for disaster,’ Fauci said. He reminds student tenants that adding a stranger into a house mid-year often proves to be a volatile situation and recommends that students plan ahead and do what they can to avoid this.
The legal clinic also offers help to Binghamton University’s international students.
Many international students do not have a local support system, so the attorneys do as much as they can to provide personal assistance. Fauci says many international students come with issues about visas and immigration laws, as well as questions about how to find housing in a new country.
Although most of the consultations deal with housing issues, anyone with criminal issues is welcome as well. Fauci adds that he has seen students for speeding tickets, disorderly conduct charges and arrests for driving while intoxicated.
Students who are seeking legal help are advised to bring any documents and supporting information with them to the clinic. According to Fauci, having your lease, contract or ticket in hand will make it much easier for the attorneys to give you sufficient advice.
The program runs while classes are in session at BU, including the winter and summer months. There is no limit to the number of visits to the clinic allowed, so anyone with any type of legal concern is encouraged to stop by as often as necessary.