Penn State Student Legal Services

We work closely with student organizations to plan law school activities, and serve as a resource to encourage interaction between students and faculty. Our team members can connect you with resources that are useful at law school, university, and the local community. Our resource page provides links and information on a variety of topics, including resources for those who may not be eligible for SLS services. We recently added additional information for protesters and legal resources related to COVID-19. On the other hand, if the other party works for the university, but the action has nothing to do with their professional role, we can usually help them. So, if a student has a problem with the landlord and the landlord works for the university, Student Legal Services can usually help that student because the problem lies solely in the fact that the owner is acting in a private capacity, not in their employment at the university. Professional conflicts can arise even if there does not appear to be any real conflict between students. Here are a few examples: For legal advice or the preparation of legal documents, please make an appointment with one of our lawyers. Our attorneys represent University Park students in court in many types of criminal and civil matters in Centre County. No representation is available outside of Centre County. We only help students with their personal legal problems. We do not help students with their friend or family member`s legal problems. We do not support students as business owners.

The university`s entrepreneurial ecosystem provides free legal aid and other services to students starting businesses. This bingo game helps students identify and avoid common scams such as fake phone calls from government agencies, phishing emails, and shady Internet buyers and sellers. This game is especially useful for international students as they are often attacked by scammers. Student Legal Services provides FREE legal assistance to current PSU students. Our team of lawyers provides advice, representation and advice on many legal issues. Students interested in the legal field can contact PSU Student Legal Services through our articling positions, Explore the Law program, and Advisory Board. 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. Kelly A. Mroz received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she graduated magna laude in 1999 and then joined the law firm of Elderkin, Martin, Kelly and Messina. In 2008, she co-founded The Family Law Group, LLC, a family law firm where she maintained a traditional litigation practice while providing mediation and legal collaboration services.

Kelly has served on state and local bars and has served on the Board of Governors and House of Delegates of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation. Kelly moved to the State College area in 2012. She leads student legal services and off-campus student support offices. Penn State is her alma mater and she enjoys being part of the vibrant university community. There is a narrow exception for situations where we would not be required to represent the other student, such as when the student is acting in his or her capacity as a for-profit business owner. Student Legal Services provides advice, recommendations, document preparation and other legal services to University Park and Commonwealth Campus students facing personal legal issues. To get started, fill out our admission form or drop by and see us. Due to this geographic restriction, we are generally unable to offer a replacement to students on the Commonwealth campus. Students on the Commonwealth campus contribute proportionately less to the fees they incur due to different levels of representation. Often, a meeting is not useful to a student after a dispute has been resolved for the following reasons: Before we can represent a student, we must enter into a written representation agreement outlining the terms of our representation. Like all our services, the representation is free – students have already paid for the service with their student fees. Students have the right to use our services to get help with their personal legal problems; However, students do not have the right to decide whether we offer recommendations, advice or representation in a particular case.

The Office of Student Legal Services cannot exist unless lawyers make that decision. We advise on a wide range of legal matters in criminal and civil matters. All of our attorneys are licensed in Pennsylvania and can only advise on Pennsylvania law. Conflicts of interest often extend to situations where another student is involved in a trait unfavorable to another student, even if they are not directly involved in the accusation, litigation, or conflict. The most common example is when a student receives an indictment related to a fight. Often the struggle was observed by other students. We could not represent the student who received the criminal complaint because we could not cross-examine the students who witnessed the fight. Because so many students live so closely together, much of the conflict that occurs here takes place between students. We have worked hard to develop resources for students in this situation to have access to free or affordable advice with a private lawyer.

We offer advice, representation, document preparation, notarial services, educational programs and references. The level of performance we can provide depends on the facts and circumstances of each case. We offer a range of document preparation services.