Grad Council Legal Advising
Graduate Council Legal Advising is available to students with questions about legal matters including landlord/tenant issues, false identification matters, criminal issues, immigration, credit and debt issue, contract questions, domestic issues, dissolution of marriage, automobile accidents, probate, parking/traffic violations, litigation, personal injury, business formations, and consumer rights issues.
Grad Council Legal Advising services are not for use by students seeking advice on (1) non-legal issues, (2) legal or non-legal issues involving the University or University affiliates, or (3) University policies or procedures. Students seeking advice on those issues should contact Amanda Young, Director of Graduate Student Affairs (amanday@uchicago.edu) or their Dean of Students.
Grad Council Legal Advising is provided through a company called Perspectives. Conversations with Perspectives and with any lawyer referred by Perspectives will be confidential and information will not be shared with the University. Students seeking advice related to unlawful harassment, discrimination, or sexual misconduct, may also report the matter to the University. To learn about support and resources or to make a report to the University, students should contact UChicago CARES.
Perspectives will not provide any legal advice, support, or referral services to students in connection with any matter involving a dispute or proceeding with the University of Chicago or any of its affiliates, or any of their respective trustees, directors, officers, employees, students, or agents, as an adverse party or any employee benefit or benefit plan established by the University of Chicago or any of its affiliates.
HOW IT WORKS
To access Grad Council Legal Advising:
Phone number: 1-888-523-9570
Access code: GCLEGAL
Students should inform the intake specialist that they are calling in order to access legal advising.
The intake specialist will speak with the student about the matter on which they need legal advice. If the student has a legal issue not involving the University or University affiliates, the intake specialist will refer the student to a lawyer for a free 30-minute consultation. There is no obligation for students to consult the referred attorney.
The consultation can take place over the telephone or students may schedule a face-to-face meeting. The consultation is the time when students share and discuss the facts of their legal concerns and determine available legal options.
During the initial consultation, the attorney will assess the legal issue presented and discuss options so students will know how to proceed from that point forward.
If students elect to retain the attorney and have the attorney do any work, students will receive a discount of 25% off of the attorney’s usual hourly or fixed fee rates.
HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM THE INITIAL CONSULTATION
Organize any necessary information before the call/meeting.
The primary objective is to tell the attorney about the situation and for the attorney to offer a course of action (or options) to consider. Options will have separate and distinct cost differences, depending on the attorney’s time commitment and the complexity of the course of action.
ELIGIBILITY
All currently enrolled, full-time University of Chicago graduate students who pay the Student Services Fee as part of their registration status are eligible to receive legal consultation. Graduate Council is funded in part through the Student Services Fee. Students enrolled full-time, but not charged the Student Services Fee are not eligible.