Free Legal Advice Available to Utah State Students

Utah State University students can get free legal advice twice each week, courtesy of the Associated Students of Utah State University.

Scott Wyatt, an attorney who is into his 12th year of providing legal services to USU students, said he comes back each year because he enjoys being involved with the school.

"I just like being here," he said. "I like keeping a relationship with the student government and being involved. I like helping students. It wasn't that long ago that I was in their shoes."

Wyatt was the student body president at USU during the 1985-86 school year before he went to law school, and began working with students in 1991 when he returned to Cache Valley.

"When I went to law school and came back, I still knew the student leaders, and they asked me to come back and do this," he said. "I'm here because I like this place. I was here a long time, and it's kind of a fun thing to come back here and be involved."

Wyatt is one of two attorneys who give free legal advice to students.

Don Linton, the other lawyer, has been coming to USU for about seven years, Wyatt said.

"At first, I came for two hours a week then four then six then 10," Wyatt said. "And then we started with two attorneys instead of just one."

Now both attorneys come to campus for about five hours each week. They have time to meet with 15 students each night. Wyatt is usually available from 4 to 9 p.m. on Mondays, and Linton from 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays, said Shauna Jensen, who makes appointments for students to meet with the lawyers.

The attorneys help students with everything from divorce to parking tickets.

"People have questions about landlord and tenant problems, divorce, adoption, tickets, name changes, lawsuits, immigration law — boy, just everything," Wyatt said. "Probably the number one issue is landlord/tenant problems because almost everybody here has a landlord. Somebody gets into a contract problem, gets sued and comes to see me."

Wyatt said he also helps students who have had problems with the university.

"We can help them with that. We work for the student association, not the university," he said. "There are ways to take care of problems on campus that don't involve courts, and we know how to handle that."

Sometimes students talk to the attorneys for other reasons, Wyatt said.

"Some want to be lawyers, so they come to talk about that. Or they have a class essay about free speech or the death penalty. I've sat down with roommates who've had problems and helped them to resolve issues. Things like that," he said. "If there are openings, we are happy to help them."

The attorneys have also spoken to student clubs and organizations. Wyatt is the Cache County attorney during the day, and he has talked to students about his job.

"What I do during the day is prosecute rape, murder and sex abuse. From time to time, I'll go visit with clubs about that, and we're happy to do it," he said.

Students usually don't have problems getting an appointment with the attorneys because there are typically openings available.

"We used to be full all the time, but I think it hasn't been promoted as much over the last year or so," he said. "It ought to be full all the time. We're better off trying to manage too many people than not enough."

Wyatt said he hopes students will take advantage of the service he provides.

"There's no cost to students, so sign up and come as many times as you want," he said. "Students have a lot of challenges, and a lot of their problems are small enough that they think they don't want to bother a lawyer or can't afford a lawyer. But this is free, and we are happy to visit with anybody, whether their problems are small or big."

The attorneys' office is Taggart Student Center, Room 316, and they come to USU to work during fall and spring semesters. To make an appointment with them, students should call the front office at 797-2912.

By Katrina Cartwright, kcartwright@cc.usu.edu
Photo by Angelie Christensen