By Ella Murdock Gardner ’22
If you were a Californian who wanted to bring a case to small claims court鈥攕ay, your landlord was shirking responsibilities outlined in your rental agreement鈥攈ow would you proceed? For most people, the prospect of navigating the legal system on their own is daunting, if not downright discouraging. But 91吃瓜 students are working to change that. This semester, the 91吃瓜 Pre-Law Society is spearheading the creation of the first student-run Small Claims Advisory Service (SCAS) in California.
鈥淭his service is mainly for people who wouldn鈥檛 otherwise have the resources to deal with the legal system,鈥� says Annelise Palacio 鈥�23, co-executive director of Claremont SCAS. 鈥淲e hope to be able to connect clients with volunteers well-versed in California legal codes who can help them through the process.鈥�
Planning for The Claremont Colleges鈥� SCAS got underway in January, when the 91吃瓜 Pre-Law Society received an email from Harvard University鈥檚 SCAS program, a student-run organization that has served clients in the Massachusetts area since 1973. Looking to extend their resources and expand their model as part of a 鈥淪CAS in 50 States Initiative,鈥� Harvard SCAS reached out to schools in California with pre-law clubs and programs to gauge interest and 鈥渟ee what stuck,鈥� according to Kayla Solomon 鈥�23, president of the 91吃瓜 Pre-Law Society and founder of the Claremont SCAS. 鈥淲e stuck,鈥� she adds. 鈥淲e are the first SCAS chapter outside of Massachusetts, so we鈥檙e the test model for expansion, but it鈥檚 going really well so far.鈥�
Right now, Claremont SCAS legal research directors and volunteers are focusing on distilling legal information and building a comprehensive guide on California small claims law. In the next month, after they conclude their research period, Palacio hopes that they鈥檒l be able to start training volunteers and building a client base by reaching out to non-profits in the area.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to start in Claremont and expand outward,鈥� says Palacio. 鈥淐alifornia is huge, and The Claremont Colleges are pretty small, so eventually we鈥檒l look at recruiting other schools.鈥� The end goal is ambitious: Eventually, Californians from all over the state will be able to call the SCAS hotline for information and support.
鈥淥ne of my goals for starting the 91吃瓜 Pre-Law Society was to give back to the community, but that鈥檚 made difficult by the fact that if you鈥檙e not a lawyer, you鈥檙e not allowed to give legal advice,鈥� says Solomon. 鈥淗owever, SCAS can provide relevant legal information in a way that makes it easier for people to understand and use.鈥�
Using the tried-and-true model provided by Harvard SCAS, Claremont SCAS is carefully walking the line between providing advice and information. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fine line, but it鈥檚 so worth it,鈥� says Palacio. 鈥淚 think this service has the potential to help many people in our community and beyond.鈥�