What it is
Student Legal Services is a licensed attorney, paid for through student fees, who advises currently enrolled students confidentially at no charge. The conversation is protected by attorney-client privilege — it does not go to the university, your file, or your parents. Most matters are resolved in one or two meetings: you get an explanation of your rights and options, help reading a document, a letter drafted on your behalf, coaching for a small-claims or traffic appearance you will handle yourself, and a referral to a private attorney or a legal-aid clinic when a matter needs full representation.
What they help with
The steady work: landlord-tenant problems (lease review before you sign, security-deposit disputes, repairs, breaking a lease, eviction defense), consumer issues (a scam, a debt, a car purchase gone wrong, a subscription that will not cancel), traffic and municipal citations, minor criminal matters and first-offense diversions, employment questions (a final paycheck, misclassification, harassment, a non-compete), name and gender-marker change procedures, notary service, powers of attorney and simple wills, immigration referrals coordinated with the international office, and understanding any court paper you have been handed.
What it cannot do
It cannot represent you in a dispute against the university itself, or advise both sides of a conflict between two Porter students (the first to call gets the office; the other is referred out). It generally does not handle matters that need ongoing court representation — felonies, contested divorce and custody, personal-injury litigation, business formation, tax controversy — though it will help you find someone who does and tell you what to expect it to cost. It is not a substitute for the accessibility office, the ombuds, or the Title IX process for university matters, and it does not give advice by email for the record.
Using the appointment well
Book through MyPorter and, in the request, name any deadline or court date — those get triaged ahead of general questions, and walk-in slots are held for genuine emergencies like a lockout or an arrest. Upload the actual documents (the lease, the ticket, the letter, the texts) through the secure portal before you come, and bring dates, names, amounts, and what outcome you want. If English is not your first language or you want support in the room, say so and an interpreter or an advocate can be arranged. Come early in a dispute — a lease reviewed before signing or a letter sent on week one is worth far more than advice after a judgment.
Questions?
See the full staff & office directory for any phone number or email. Because this is a fictional parody site, addresses and phone numbers are illustrative and do not reach a real university.