University of Virginia Library

Legal Society To Propose Attorney
For Students At Visitors Meeting

By JEFF DICKERSON

Photo by Bob Humphrey

Spring Training

A proposal to hire an attorney
exclusively to serve University students is
expected to be presented to the Board of
Visitors at its April 7 meeting.

The proposal is a joint effort by the
Legal Assistance Society and the students
who conducted the Student Legal
Service Program, which has been closed
since October.

Hiring a student attorney would "fill
the void" left by the closing of the
program, according to Legal Assistance
Society president Ronald Stevens.

Under the legal service program, law
students advise other students on legal
matters.

The program was discontinued after a
warning from the State Bar that it
violated bar regulations by giving legal
advice from students who are not
members of the bar.

"Fixed Contractor" Hired

According to the new proposal,
Student Council would hire an attorney
at a fixed salary and on a yearly basis.
The attorney would be a "fixed
contractor" and not a state employee.

His function, Mr. Stevens said, would
be to represent students in
landlord-tenant disputes and commercial
transactions with local businesses. He
would do preliminary work, negotiate
settlements and refer students to local
attorneys if their cases went to court.

The attorney's duties would not
include personal trusts, injuries against a
student by another student, and cases
involving a student organization against
an individual student or another
organization.

He also would not deal with the
day-to-day problems of a student, Mr.
Stevens explained.

If possible, he would have an office on
the Grounds so he could be easily reached
by a student.

Prospective Attorneys Listed

A list of prospective attorneys would
be prepared by a panel of law professors,
who would base their selection solely on
the legal qualifications of candidates. The
panel would then submit the list of
nominees to Student Council, which
would make the final choice.

The Board of Visitors must approve
the hiring of an attorney, Mr. Stevens
said, because his services will probably be
financed through student fees.

It is not now known how much would
be taken from the individual student
activity fee, but the cost is estimated to
be about $2 a year.

Mr. Stevens also said that student
support is crucial for the success of
the proposal.

The Legal Assistance Society is
planning to circulate petitions so that
students may express support, Mr.
Stevens said.