Our Fee
The CSLS fee is $8.00 per quarter, which is included as an option on your tuition bill. Starting in the 2012 – 2103 school year, the fee will be $12.00 per semester and $8.00 for the summer, which adds up to the same yearly cost. You will be automatically billed for our services unless you waive the fee.
Our office is a non-profit organization that is completely supported by the $8.00 fee, so the availability of our services depends on the students of Ohio University. The more students that pay the fee, the better our services will be! Please keep this in mind before waiving your fee; even if you think you will never need an attorney, you never know, and your participation in the program helps us provide quality services to all Ohio University students.
All Ohio University students can waive or re-enroll in the program during the first three weeks of the quarter. When re-enrolling, the $8.00 will be put back on the tuition bill and you are responsible for paying it. After the deadline, all students are subject to higher attorney fees if the $8.00 fee was waived. You can re-enroll during the three week deadline if you waived by accident or changed your mind. You can download the re-enrollment form and email it to us. If you are re-enrolling because you need legal assistance, the $8.00 fee will be put back on your bill and you will be charged attorney fees for your legal issue.
The waive/re-enroll deadline for the 2011-2012 school year are:
Winter Quarter: January 24, 2012
Spring Quarter: April 16, 2012
Summer Session: July 6, 2012
Accessing Our Services
What if I waived the fee but now I need legal help?
If you waive the fee, you can still re-enroll in the program before the three week deadline, but you will also have to pay higher attorney fees to get legal assistance.
Why can I re-enroll in the program during the first three weeks of the quarter but I still have to pay additional fees because I need legal assistance? That doesn’t seem fair.
What if I didn’t pay the fee when I paid my tuition, but I didn’t waive it either?
Why should I pay a fee for legal services?
Exceptions to the fee schedule
Winter Intersession: Students who were enrolled during fall quarter and paid the fee are eligible for services during Winter Intersession with no additional fee.
Quarters Where Student is Not Enrolled:Students are eligible for services for 90 days after the last quarter in which they were enrolled at Ohio University for landlord/tenant cases that involve security deposits only. For criminal and other civil matters, students must be enrolled in classes at Ohio University and have paid the fee. For landlord/tenant matters involving security deposits, students who are not enrolled will not be charged the $8.00 fee for services during the 90 days in which they are not enrolled in classes. This exception includes students who have graduated.
Students Withdrawing from the University: Students who find it necessary to withdraw from the university are subject to the university’s policy of refund of fees. Per the Bursar’s office, Ohio University policy is that the CSLS fee is refunded in full if a student withdraws from classes.
Waiver of Fee in Error: If a student or parent waives the fee in error, CSLS will put the charge back on the student’s tuition bill during the first three weeks of the quarter. See deadlines at the top of this page.
Representation of a Student who has not Paid Their Fee who is a Necessary Party to Litigation: A student who has not paid the fee is charged $25.00 to participate in the case when they are a necessary party for litigation. The most common situation in which this occurs is housing cases where there are several roommates pursuing legal action against their landlord or rental company. If any of the students living in the residence did not pay their legal service fee, they will be charged $25.00 to become part of the case because their input is necessary for the successful resolution of the case.
Expungement and Sealing: Students who have graduated or are not enrolled in classes shall be charged $50.00 for CSLS to handle the expungement/sealing in its entirety. As an alternative, CSLS will mail the necessary paperwork with instructions on how to complete and submit it on their own for no charge.
