LEARN MORE ABOUT SLS
OUR VISION:
To provide outstanding free legal services and education that enhances student success.
OUR MISSION:
Student Legal Services empowers PSU students to succeed in their academic endeavors by providing access to justice. We address legal issues that impact students’ educational and career goals through legal advice, representation, mentorship, community partnerships, and education.
OUR VALUES:
- Persistence: To provide services in support of student retention and well-being.
- Access to Justice: To empower students through legal assistance and information to remove barriers to the legal system.
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: To provide an accessible and inclusive program for the diverse P.S.U. student body.
- Education: To increase student knowledge through consultations, presentations, and mentorship.
- Student Success: To help resolve legal obstacles in support of academic and personal achievements.
- Community: To interact in a positive, meaningful manner with all components of Portland State University and the Portland community.
- Collaboration: To work with other P.S.U. departments to be responsive to the needs and concerns of students and jointly provide holistic support and programming.
HISTORY:
PSU Student Legal Services was established in 1975 by the Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU) to address the legal needs of students unable to afford or otherwise access legal services. In 1981, SLS expanded to two attorneys following wide recognition of the value of our free legal services. There are currently 4 attorney positions. With these expansions, SLS added practice areas including family law and immigration law, and expanded the practice in housing and consumer law. In 2012, SLS created the Explore the Law program in response to the growing number of first-generation PSU students interested in practicing law, and to address the limited diversity among our Oregon State Bar members. In 2019, SLS was transferred to the Office of Global Diversity & Inclusion's oversight in recognition of the disparate impact of legal issues on PSU students and SLS’s ongoing efforts to diversify the legal field.