Attorney Christopher Burke, program director of Student Legal Services, has said the office’s independence from Syracuse University is important, even as the university considers an idea of replacing SLS with in-house lawyers.

At a Graduate Student Organization meeting earlier this semester, the organization’s president, Jack Wilson, said GSO members were worried that SLS lawyers would be replaced by ones hired by the university, which he said could infringe on the service’s independence.

SLS provides free legal services to undergraduate and graduate students at SU. The service is currently independent of the university and is funded by SA and GSO.

Wilson, Student Association President James Franco and SU officials have met to discuss changes to SLS operations. Wilson initially expressed frustration in mid-February after he said Franco and university administrators held a private meeting to discuss a possible reconfiguration of SLS.

Burke said he has talked to Franco and Wilson about SLS, but was not involved in any conversations with the university.

He said separation of SLS from SU is important because it allows for strict attorney-client confidentiality.

“Two of the big questions I always get when somebody walks in here are, ‘Is this attorney-client confidential and are you part of the university?’” Burke said. “And the answers would be ‘yes and no,’ and that’s what they want to hear.”

SLS offers legal representation and counseling to students on a variety of issues including traffic violations, loans, housing leases and more serious criminal offenses, Burke said.

In response to the concerns expressed by Wilson and GSO, Franco previously said SA wanted to help SLS get more support from the university, while still maintaining the program’s independence.

Undergraduates are utilizing SLS less than expected, Franco said. Students may not be able to access legal help because SLS’s current lawyers are unable to address certain issues or some litigation processes that may be too complicated, he added.     

Burke said SLS would be happy to find more ways to connect with undergraduate students, but he added that confidentiality should always be the main consideration.

SLS used to be located in Schine Student Center, but newer technology made it difficult to ensure confidentiality in that setup. Burke added that client records need to be completely private.  

“There are rules out there that all attorneys are bound by and I cannot see that not being a violation of those professional ethic rules,” he said.

SLS will advise students on any topic that students feel they need legal assistance with, but SLS is only able to provide representation on certain cases, he added. For example, the service does not represent students who are going to court as plaintiffs, Burke said.

Burke said SLS was originally meant to be a legal clinic, not a full service law firm.

He added that the main conflicts SU students are going to face — traffic tickets, landlord-tenant issues and lease reviews — are all issues that SLS is equipped to handle.

“We represent students in their time of need,” he said. “We protect students’ rights and interests.”

Published on March 4, 2018 at 11:36 pm

Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu