As the fall semester pushes past midterms, many University of Iowa students may find themselves juggling more than just classes and exams. Many students are facing increasing real-world legal challenges as UI Student Legal Services faces higher numbers of students requiring its services.
Housing disputes, traffic tickets, and underage drinking charges all fall under the service’s umbrella. Located in the Iowa Memorial Union, legal services offers free confidential legal advice by licensed attorneys who represent all currently enrolled students at the university.
As of the spring 2025 semester, legal services reported a 6.2 percent increase in student intake appointments, or the first meeting between a student and a legal advisor. Student Legal Services was unable to provide the number of student intake appointments due to confidentiality.
The service is funded by the student activity fee, a charge of $79 annually that goes toward funding for programs like legal services, the Undergraduate Student Government, and the UI Food Pantry, among others.
Aaron Miers, an Iowa City attorney and assistant director of Student Legal Services, said the competitive housing market in Iowa City can push students into a precarious situation with landlords.
“I wish more students would bring their leases in before they sign in so that they can understand what they are signing,” Miers said.
Student Legal Services provides free lease reviews to students, but Miers said he feels like the service is underused. Miers said 55 percent of students who have used their services in the last year have been facing a landlord issue, specifically landlord-tenant disputes over leasing and property management.
Miers said 21 percent of students come into the office with a criminal law concern, with most of them involving alcohol related offenses or fake ID charges. Miers said when looking at the Student Legal Services website analytics, searches regarding fake ID are among the top searches on their website.
“If you are charged with a serious misdemeanor, you should get legal representation. We represent students who have been charged with a fake ID charge,” Miers said.
RELATED: Iowa City landlord-tenant disputes dominate UI Student Legal Services agenda
Penelope Klein, a UI second-year student, used the legal services attorneys when trying to sign a lease for the 2024-25 school year.
Klein showed the attorneys their lease, and the attorneys helped them sort through the document’s wording and phrasing.
Klein said they ended up signing the lease with a lot more confidence than they had going into the meeting, and the attorneys didn’t use any confusing language or speed through the assessment of documents.
“We put a lot of trust in them to make an incredibly important decision, and it truly paid off,” Klein said.
Student Legal Services employs two licensed attorneys who work together to provide legal counseling for students. Amanda Elkins, attorney and director of the service, said her job feels more fulfilling than other positions in the legal field.
“[My job] is so rewarding. Even though our students aren’t directly paying us, they are extremely appreciative of the work we do,” Elkins said.
Despite limited staffing, Elkins and Miers have given 66 outreach presentations in the last year, educating over 4,400 students on the services their office provides. These presentations are often centered on leasing literacy and the legal rights of students.
“We try to find the right balance of getting the word out that we exist, but not overwhelming the office,” Elkins said. “We are always advocating for additional resources and funding.”