Student Government Association searching for lawyer to open free students' legal clinic in February
Establishing a pro bono legal clinic is at the top of Student Government Association President Brittany Mouzourakis' list of goals this year.
“If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll get this pro bono clinic running," said Mouzourakis, a Garden City senior.
Aiming to begin in February, the clinic would allow students to meet with a practicing lawyer by appointment to receive legal advice on any matter.
Menominee junior Sarah Kokott said the clinic would be a useful resource for CMU students, who may otherwise not know where to go for advice.
“I definitely think it would be a good idea," Kokott said. "A lot of students our age wouldn’t know how to go about doing that otherwise. Having that on campus would be really accessible.”
The clinic would be solely for advice, and not legal representation. Mouzourakis said the clinic would provide an alternative for students to private legal advice, which can often be costly.
“I am personally very interested in law," Mouzourakis, who plans to attend law school in the fall, said. "I think if you’re not in law school, it’s difficult to understand the legal system.”
She said the SGA is looking to keep the clinic internal to CMU, and hopes to find a faculty member who is also a practicing lawyer to participate.
“If we couldn’t find a faculty member to do this, it would be upsetting to me, but I am optimistic somebody will step up to the plate," Mouzourakis said.
SGA plans to have a lawyer available for four 30-minute appointments each week; the same model used at Eastern Michigan University's clinic.
Mouzourakis said if the program proves to need extra slots it could be expanded to two days a week.
Mandi Coleman, a Milan sophomore who said she does not foresee herself having any run-ins with the law, also thinks the clinic could be valuable to CMU students for a number of reasons.
“I’ve never had any need for something like that, but any kind of guidance in this stage of life is helpful," Coleman said.
