About DuSLA

DuSLA FAQ

What is DuSLA?
Duke University Student Legal Assistance (DuSLA) is a chartered organization comprised of undergraduate and graduate (law) students who offer free and confidential assistance and information on a wide array of student problems.

DuSLA provides assistance to any Duke student for academic misconduct investigations and hearings, parking tickets, off-campus drinking and underage possession tickets, and any administrative issue related to Duke.

DuSLA Provides:
Trained Advisors
Legal Referrals
Independence from Judicial Affairs
Food & Drink For Your Appeals Hearing
Help with Traffic Tickets

Is DuSLA Free?
Absolutely, DuSLA is free to all Duke students and may refer you to reduced price legal services, just in case.

What happens when I have a problem?
When you contact DuSLA, either at dusla@duke.edu or by contacting one of our advisors, a trained member is assigned to you. You will have a short (10 min.) meeting with this advisor so that he or she can get some background information. All of the information you share is confidential between DuSLA and yourself.

The advisor will then consult a senior member of the group or law student (without identifying you) to receive additional guidance on how to help. The advisor may do additional research on your concern and provide you those results. The aim is to save you time while informing you of all your options. You will then have more comprehensive meetings to plan a strategy to resolve your problem.

For Instance:
If you were accused of plagiarism, a DuSLA advisor will:
(1) Explain to you the judicial affairs process at Duke
(2) Explain to you possible sanctions for such a violation
(3) Show you previous cases of plagiarism on file with DuSLA.
(4) Review any information you are submitting to Judicial Affairs for completeness, accuracy, spelling, or anything you want.
(5) Help you plan for meetings with Deans or administrators.
(6) Accompany you to meetings as your official advisor, as permitted by Duke Judicial Affairs policy.
(7) Provide whatever assistance necessary and allowed at said meetings.

YOU MUST READ THIS FIRST:
You consent that you understand the following if you continue to use DuSLA’s webpage or contact DuSLA (although we will remind you).

While DuSLA does not itself provide legal services, we provide assistance for on-campus disciplinary hearings as allowed by Duke Judicial Affairs in addition to legal referrals to licensed local attorneys. DuSLA is students who help other students with information (not advice).

DuSLA cannot and DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE or any interpretation of any State or Federal laws. If you need such information, please contact a qualified attorney.

No member of DuSLA can, does, or attempts to practice law, provide legal advice, or represent him or herself as a lawyer.
For clarification on any of these matters, please send an email to dusla@duke.edu