Legal Issues
 

Please contact their office to directly to make an appointment for legal advice. No legal advice will be given over the telephone or by e-mail. You will be required to show your valid UT ID, and you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire to be given to the attorney. Bring any pertinent documents with you, for example your lease is necessary for analyzing any aspect of your tenancy; if you have received a ticket, bring it; or if you have been in an auto accident, bring a copy of the police report and the repair estimates. Also, write down the questions you would like to have answered and a short summary of your legal problem. Visit their web-site at www.utexas.edu/student/lss.

Walk-in Hours:

You will find their office in the Student Services Building at 100 W. Dean Keeton Street (26th Street) Room 3.410. The phone number is 471-7796.

Their 32-page book, "Legal Services for Students," contains helpful information on many of the legal issues that confront students. Categories are" Landlord-Tenant; Car Questions; Consumer Law; Employment Law; Criminal Law; Domestic Relations; Wills, etc.; Small Claims Court, and Community Resources. Copies are available at the Legal Services office (see above) and also in the UT Family Program Office.
 

General Legal Assistance (non-UT)

Lawyer Referral Services
It is a non-profit local Travis County, legal service associated with the Travis County Bar Association. Refers you to a qualified, private, practicing attorney. The attorney will charge you a $20.00 fee for the first half-hour of your consultation. The attorney donates this fee to LRS to defray its expenses (free half-hour consultation for all personal injury, malpractice, workers' compensation, bankruptcy, and Social Security Disability cases). Call them at 472 - 8303; Mon. - Fri., 8 am - 5 p.m. Visit their web site at www.austinlrs.com.
 
Legal Aid of Central Texas (LACT)
Provides civil legal representation and advice to people who cannot afford to pay a lawyer. All services provided by Legal Aid are free of charge. However, clients are responsible for any court costs, such as filing fees. Legal Aid of Central Texas does not handle any type of criminal matter. Legal Aid of Central Texas (Austin Office), 2201 Post Road Suite #104, Austin, Texas 78704-4300. Call them at (512) 447-7707 or 1-800-369-9270. Or visit their web site at www.lact.org/lact_austin.
 
Law Talk Texas of the Young Lawyers' Association
Provides recorded information including law on landlord/tenant disputes, small claims court, immigration law, criminal law, employment law, automobile accident, insurance, repair law, and family law. Call 1 - 877 - 715 - 3425.
 
Mediation Clinics
Conflict Resolution Center 232 - 1724
UT Law School 440 - 7273
 

Help with Landlord Problems

Tenant Rights Handbook
The Tenants Rights Handbook, prepared by the Texas Young Lawyers Association, gives you general guidance as a tenant. It would be a good ideato look in to this before you rent an apartment. Go to their web-site at www.reptl.org/information/10260000.html#newhome.

Texas Tenants Advisor
This site provides general information regarding the rights of residential tenants in Texas.
http://www.texastenant.org
 
The Austin Tenants' Council
The Austin Tenants' Council (ATC) helps you with housing problems. Visit their web site at www.housing-rights.org. They also have an online counseling. ATC programs address many areas of need: housing discrimination, landlord/tenant education & information, and housing repair & rehabilitation. Most of their services are free.

Here are some examples of their programs:

Alcohol and Drug Laws

Drinking and Driving
A person having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more is intoxicated
according to the law. The offense is called Driving While Intoxicated, DWI. The definition for intoxication includes both alcohol and drugs. Any drug you take might affect your ability as a driver. If you have doubts about a particular drug or drug mix, check with your doctor or pharmacist.

A law enforcement officer, for good reason, may ask a driver to take a test to determine the amount of alcohol in his body. Refusal to give a blood or breath specimen for analysis or if a person has a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or greater makes the driver subject to a 60-90-day driver’s license suspension. Your first DWI could cost you $0 - 2000 fine, 90 - 365 days drivers license suspension and 72 hours - 180 days in jail. The punishment gets worse with your second or third DWI.

Insurance companies offers liability insurance discounts to drivers who complete drug and alcohol awareness courses.

Possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage increases the mini-mum term of confinement by 3 days for a 1st offense. It is illegal to consume an alcoholic beverage while operating a motor vehicle in a public place observed by a police officer.

How much you can drink may vary somewhat in your personal alcohol tolerance. Food in the stomach affects the rate of absorption. Medications, health, and psychological condition are also influential factors. In any case, if you’ve been drinking at all, be careful! Some myths about drinking alcohol say that taking cold showers, drinking black coffee, or exercising will sober a person up. This is not true. Only time, body weight, the number of drinks, and how much has been eaten, can affect how long it takes anyone to "sober up." It takes about one hour for the body to get rid of each "drink." If a person has had more than one drink an hour, one hour of "sobering up" time should be allowed for each extra drink. Better still, someone who has not been drinking should drive.
 
Zero Tolerance for Minors
In Texas a "minor" is someone under 21 years of age. Generally speaking, a minor may not purchase, attempt to purchase, consume, or even possess an alcoholic beverage. Since a minor should not even possess an alcoholic beverage it is zero tolerance for minors. If the minor has ANY detectable amount of alcohol in his system while he or she is operating a motor vehicle in a public place, as far as the law is concerned, the minor driver has committed the criminal offense of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol by a Minor (DUIA by a Minor).
 
Other Sanctions for Non-Driving Alcohol-Related Offenses
A person who purchases an alcoholic beverage for a minor or who furnishes an alcoholic beverage to a minor can be punished by a fine up to $2,000.00 and/or confinement in jail for up to 180 days. A person who sells a minor an alcoholic beverage can be punished by a fine up to $4,000.00 and/or confinement in jail
for up to one year.
 
Shoplifting

The appearance of shoplifting can be different in different countries. For some people it can be confusing what is considered shoplifting. Shoplifting costs shop owners a lot of money each year and is considered a serious crime. Here are some things you should be aware of to avoid expensive and unpleasant mistakes.

Child Supervision

Different countries have different ways of how to take care of their children. What is common in one culture may be considered not acceptable in another. At http://www.tdprs.state.tx.us/Child_Protection/Child_Abuse_Prevention/default.asp
you can read about the legal definitions of child abuse and child neglect in the United States. This is not meant to worry parents in any way, just to make us aware of that there are differences that in some cases could have a serious outcome. If you have questions regarding this, discuss this issue with other parents, American friends or contact Family and Community Programs.
 
Seat Belt Safety

The driver and front seat passengers, in a passenger car or in a truck with a manufacturer’s rated carrying capacity of not more than 1,500 pounds, are required to use safety belts by law. Children under 2 years of age should be secured in child passenger safety seats and children 2-4 years of age in safety seats or by safety belts. A child who is at least 4 years of age but younger than 15 years of age must be secured by a safety belt, provided the child is occupying a seat that is equipped with a safety belt.
 
Link to Child Safety Seats