Legal Services
The Graduate School (TGS) provides appointments with a consulting attorney, Vadim Shifrin, Esq., as part of the quarterly activity fee. All currently enrolled, full-time TGS students and Kellogg MBA students are eligible to receive a legal consultation if they have been charged the activity fee for the current quarter.
This service is funded by TGS and the Kellogg Graduate School of Management through proceeds from student activity fees. Students enrolled full-time, but not charged the activity fee (e.g., TGS 512, etc.) are not eligible. There is no additional cost to receive a legal consultation.
All currently enrolled, full-time TGS students are eligible for Legal Services until further notice, even if you opt out of the U-Pass and do not pay the quarterly activity fee.
Contact
Please email Rina Fernandes in TGS to schedule an appointment. All Legal Services appointments will be held by phone or Zoom until further notice. If the dates listed do not align with your schedule, please email Rina Fernandes in TGS about additional scheduling options.
Please direct all initial and follow-up inquiries to Rina Fernandes in TGS; please do not contact Vadim directly.
Policies
- The consulting attorney cannot provide legal consultation on issues relating to Northwestern University, student groups, other Northwestern University students or attorney conflicts.
- Intellectual property questions should be directed to the INVO office.
- Eligible students are entitled to one appointment per legal issue.
- Each appointment is up to one hour in length.
- If the matter requires further legal assistance, you will be advised to retain an attorney to handle the matter to completion.
Location
All Legal Service appointments will be held via phone or Zoom.
What to expect
- Please note that the consulting attorney is not an expert in every legal field. The consulting attorney can only provide a basic legal consultation.
- Appointments are set for one hour. Within this hour, the consulting attorney intends to explain and analyze the legal issue(s) presented and recommend an action plan for the student.
- For students needing additional intensive attorney representation, the consulting attorney will assist students’ understanding of the basic legal issues involved and help prepare them to best select outside (non- or for-profit) counsel.
Common issues
The following list is a non-exclusive list of legal issues addressed by the Student Legal Services office*:
- Lease and sublease review
- Municipal ordinance violations
- False identification matters
- Criminal issues
- Credit and debt problems
- Immigration
- Contract breach
- Domestic issues
- Dissolution of marriage
- Automobile accidents
- Medical billing issues
- Probate
- Employment contract review
- Personal injury
- Insurance concerns
- Business formation
- Parking/Traffic violations
- To learn more about the Parking Tickets and Traffic Violations in Evanston and Chicago, download this PDF from Arthur Corbin.
- Landlord/Tenant disputes
- If you wish to meet with the attorney about an issue with your landlord, please familiarize yourself with your rights as a tenant by reading our landlord/tenant FAQ assembled by Arthur Corbin, which details common lease provisions in Evanston and Chicago.
- Litigation matters
- Contract drafting/review
- Consumer rights issues
* Communications made between a student client and the attorney will be protected under attorney-client confidentiality rules in accordance with the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct. If a student’s matter requires further legal assistance, upon request, the Student Legal Services office can assist the student in locating an attorney suitable to the student’s needs.
Notary public services
TGS does not provide notary services, however they are available at the Cashier's Office in Norris University Center. Learn more.