This may be the most important office that DePaul students are unaware of.
DePaul’s Office of Croak Student Legal Services (CSLS) was created in 2006 through an SGA initiative and was named after Rev. Thomas M. Croak, C.M., the office’s first director, following his retirement. The goal of the office is “to both help students address legal issues that may arise in their university experience and to educate the students about their legal rights and responsibilities,” according to its website. CSLS’s new director, Sarah Baum, is a graduate of DePaul’s College of Law and is working hard to make sure students are aware of all the free services they have to offer.
Students can come in with virtually any legal issue including anything from small claims and debt to divorce and child support. The two most common issues that Baum sees the most are landlord/tenant issues and minor criminal and traffic violations.
While the range of services is broad, CSLS cannot advise or help with any issue that would be adverse to the university. Due to staffing, they are also unable to represent students in court but have attorneys that students can be referred to.
The services are free to all students – full and part time, undergraduate and graduate – but out-of-pocket services will have to be covered by students.
Baum understands that legal issues can arise at any time in life and works to not only help resolve the issues but to also equip the student for the future.
“I try as much as possible to empower students to help themselves,” Baum said. “Rather than take on everything for the student, we also have a philosophy that we can teach people how to advocate for themselves.”
What tip does Baum have for students who find themselves with a problem?
“Give us a call even if you’re not sure that you have a full blown legal issue,” she said. “You don’t have to wait until court if you’ve been arrested. Don’t wait for the day before court to give us a call.”
SGA third-year senator Pierre Anderson is working with Baum to help educate students on the important services that are available to them. He knows that most juniors live off-campus and want to ensure that students are still aware of the on-campus resources that are available to them. Some of their goals include having a link to CSLS’s website on the DePaul home page to make it more accessible.
Shaza Loutfi, a junior French and political science major, wanted to create a non-profit organization over the summer but didn’t know where to start. She went to CSLS for help with legal aspects and described her experience as “positive.”
“Legal services really gave me the tools to be able to do it and they would help me along with it which is awesome because I also want to go into the legal field,” Loutfi said. “No matter how busy they get, they want to make sure they’re offering their services.”
For as many services as the office offers, Loutfi isn’t so sure that enough students know about it.
“I think they might know about it but they forget it,” she said. “Then you mention it and they’re like ‘Oh yeah, we have legal services at DePaul.’ It just doesn’t come into their mind when they need it which is unfortunate.”
Beyond providing legal services for students, the office is also open to interns, most commonly DePaul College of Law students. Through the Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative (PBSCI), law students who complete and report at least 50 hours of service are eligible for a service award and CSLS is just one of the locations. Russell Martinez, a first year law student who is interested in public service found his match at CSLS where he volunteered during the fall semester.
“It was a fun experience,” Martinez said. “As a law student, we were able to get a look at what it’s like to deal with clients and real life issues and apply some of the knowledge that we’re learning in our first year to those cases. It was really cool to help students with their real life issues. The law is so much in our society that at some point in our lives, people will have to deal with it.”
Martinez worked on everything from landlord/tenant issues to helping a student work through the copyright process for publishing a book she wrote in class. Martinez, who worked with both Baum and Croak prior to his retirement, emphasized how committed the directors were to student advocacy and empowerment.
“They’re both extremely dedicated to helping every person who comes through the doors,” he said. “Volunteers are tasked with giving equal importance to every single case and giving the student proper knowledge on how to go forward.”
Baum, Loutfi and Martinez all stressed the importance of visiting the office even if only with a question so that an issue can be prevented. The earlier a student meets with Baum, the more options they have.
“I totally forgot I had access to them and I wish I had gone and just told her my situation and prevented it,” Loutfi said of a separate issue.
Martinez would not only encourage law students to intern with the office but for all students to visit the office at least once, no matter what their issue would be, stressing that it is a safe place.
“[I would] just encourage students to go to the student legal services and make note that we prioritize the client in making sure that we deal with the student in the most professional way possible,” he said. “There is a vow of confidentiality. We don’t tell parents or school anything. If students are reluctant to speak out about an issue, the CSLS office is a place for them to go and be safe. People will take the time to help them out.”
Croak Student Legal Services is located in Suite 308 in Lincoln Park’s Student Center.