The CSLS Fee

The CSLS fee is $8.00 per quarter, which is included as an option on your tuition bill. You will be automatically billed for our services unless you waive the fee. You have the first five weeks of the quarter to waive the fee. Please be aware that you must have paid the fee during the quarter during which your legal problem occured.

Deadlines for Payment of CSLS Fee for 2009-10:

Fall: 10/12/2009

Winter: 2/8/2010

Spring: 5/3/2010

Summer: 8/16/2010 

(provided courtesy of the OU Bursar`s office)

If you click on the CSLS waiver box on your OU e-bill, you are WAIVING the CSLS fee. This means you will be ineligible for our services for the quarter. Once you make the decision to waive the fee to be eligible for legal services, you can not opt back into the service. In other words, if you decide to waive the fee, you are waiving your right to legal representation for any reason for the entire quarter. If you discover that you need legal assistance during the quarter but you decided not to pay the fee, we cannot help you.

NOTE: If you click the CSLS fee waiver box on your e-bill, you should get a disclaimer stating that you have waived the fee. If you don`t, please call the Bursar`s Office.

Once you agree to be covered by this service, you can not receive your fee back. You are paying into a legal insurance program, so it is difficult to refund student legal service fees for students who change their mind and still make the service affordable for everyone else.

Don`t think you will ever need a lawyer? You never know when you may need legal representation. You may not anticipate getting into trouble, but you may have issues with your landlord or even consumer issues that can be resolved quicker and more easily with legal representation. Fees for a regular lawyer in town are usually $90-$150 per hour. You could avoid spending a fortune in attorney fees if you pay the $8.00 fee every quarter. There are no additional charges for legal services after you pay your fee. What could be better than an $8.00 lawyer?

NOTE: Here are some exceptions to the normal CSLS fee schedule:

  • If you are registered for either Summer Session 1 or Session 2, you have until halfway through second session to pay your Student Legal Services Fee (the exact date varies by year). The normal 5 week cut-off that applies during the other quarters has been extended for Summer Quarter. This is so students who are only registered for Session 2 still have plenty of time to pay the fee even if you don`t register for the session until the day before. Remember, if you have already waived the fee, we cannot help you! 
     
  • If you are not registered for either Summer Session but are still in Athens and need our assistance, we can help you if you paid your fee for Spring Quarter. If you are not sure if you paid your Spring Quarter fee, give us a call and we can tell you. If you are not registered for Summer Session and not living in Athens for the summer, you will not be able to use our services during Summer Sessions. 
  • If you graduated during Spring Quarter, you can use our service for up to 60 days after graduation for landlord/tenant issues. One of the reasons for this is that landlords have 30 days to return your security deposit after the end of your lease, so if you have a problem with getting your security deposit returned after graduation, we can still help. Be sure to call us as soon as you know you have a landlord/tenant issue after you graduate so those 60 days haven’t already passed!
  • If you are staying in Athens during winter break, you can use our services if you paid your fee for the previous quarter (Fall).