History and Mission

The Graduate Student Legal Aid Office (GLAO) was established in 1987 by the Graduate Student Government (GSG) in partnership with the Graduate School. The office was created through imposition – for the first time – of a graduate student legal activity fee. The office continues to be funded solely by this fee. The Office is now under the auspices of the Office of Student Affairs.

The Office was conceived of and continues to operate as a pre-paid legal services program. Under this model, graduate students pay a set legal activity fee each semester. In return, students are entitled to free legal advice, assistance, and advocacy from the Graduate Student Legal Aid Office. There is no limit on the number of problems for which a student may seek assistance and no limit on the number of hours of free legal services available to any given client.

GLAO’s initial mission statement charged the office with giving general legal advice to graduate students regarding the on-campus resolution of individual campus concerns, giving general advice to students regarding off-campus legal problems, referring graduate students to outside agencies for legal services, assistance and representation regarding these concerns, and researching and writing monographs and informational pamphlets regarding both on and off-campus issues and concerns. The attorney was and continues to be specifically prohibited from serving as counsel on behalf of any student or student group in any litigation involving either on or off campus issues.

GLAO’s primary mission, as it has developed over time, is to provide high-quality, effective and timely legal information, advice, assistance, and advocacy for the graduate student population. This includes direct, on-going services to individual clients and, more generally, development of materials and programs to inform the graduate student community about legal rights and remedies (on a variety of topics for which students typically seek advice). The office can also serve as consultant to GSG and its committees by providing legal information, strategies or input where appropriate.