A two-year process to hire a lawyer for Northwestern students may soon be over, Associated Student Government President Jordan Heinz said Thursday.
The search committee has narrowed the selection to one candidate, said Heinz, an Education senior. Although the committee has yet to conduct an interview, Heinz said the candidate has expressed a strong interest in the position and his resume looks good.
ASG delayed creating the search committee until Fall Quarter classes began in order to include members from Phi Alpha Delta, a pre-law fraternity on campus. Five students and several administrators are serving on the committee, Heinz said.
If hired, the lawyer would work eight to 15 hours each week to provide free legal advice to NU students, Heinz said.
In addition to fielding questions about landlord-tenant disputes, the lawyer will be able to give advice concerning car accidents, drinking-and-driving violations and parking tickets, Heinz said.
“He gives advice so that students don’t get screwed over and so they know their legal rights,” Heinz said.
During Winter Quarter, ASG allocated $40,000 in funding to support the position, including salary and office support, he said.
When ASG allocated the funds, however, 15 senators voted against the budget, arguing that the position was unnecessary and too expensive.
Despite its high price tag, the part-time lawyer position already has attracted attention, Heinz said. At least 15 off-campus students have asked for advice in disputes with their landlords, he said.
Although a lawyer would offer advice to students, he or she would not represent students in court, Heinz said. Providing legal representation would tie up months of the lawyer’s time for only one or two cases, he said, making the position inefficient.
The lawyer also would not be able to sign contracts between student groups and performers. Some groups, including the Asian American Advisory Board and A&O Productions, had trouble with the university’s lengthy contract-reviewing process last year.
During last year’s debates over the lawyer, many groups complained that money intended for student groups should not go to pay for a lawyer who cannot directly help the groups.
Most Big Ten schools already have a lawyer to provide free counsel for students, Heinz said.
Former ASG President Adam Humann, Weinberg ’01, led the process to fill such a position for NU when the Legal Aid Office disbanded two years ago. The office, a student-run organization, offered services similar to those of a lawyer’s.
