The Public Interest Practicum (PIP) researches civil (non-criminal) legal questions and gives advice to help people solve their legal problems if they do not have access to a lawyer. PIP also makes referrals to other low or no-cost legal services if appropriate. PIP does not directly represent clients in court or negotiations.
No, PIP provides research and advice only. We do not represent clients in court or draft legal documents. We can sometimes help you find form documents or review documents others have drafted to make sure they are accurate.
PIP accepts phone calls from anyone with civil (non-criminal) legal questions about Georgia law. PIP screens calls to determine if the question is appropriate for a law student to research. If current caseloads are high, we may give priority to local callers from Clarke or Oconee Counties.
PIP researches cases when law school is in session, from mid-January to mid-April and mid-August to mid-November. Occasionally PIP can accept urgent legal questions during the summer semester.
First, you will speak to an administrative specialist who will do a brief phone screening. If your case is appropriate to assign to a law student, then the student will contact you for a more thorough phone interview. Law students work under the supervision of the PIP Director, a licensed Georgia attorney. The law student will be your main contact, but the attorney will approve any legal advice before you receive it.
No, PIP works with clients by phone or video call and does not conduct in-office interviews at the law school. PIP also visits a few community sites in person each semester, and you may call the PIP office to find out where and when students will be making on site visits this semester.
PIP can research many areas of law including: landlord-tenant disputes, debt collection, consumer complaints, simple contracts, powers of attorney and advance medical directives, simple probate cases, applications for public benefits, and collateral consequences to arrests (such as record restriction or driver’s license reinstatement.) Please contact PIP to determine if we can research your legal question.
Typically, we do not give advice about divorces with children, child custody, land or house sales, or claims for money damages (such as personal injury or malpractice.) We do not handle criminal cases, although we may be able to research collateral consequences such as record restriction or driving privileges. PIP also does not accept cases if you have access to another legal service or are able to hire a lawyer for your type of case. Please contact PIP to determine if your legal question is one we can accept.
PIP students must consult with their supervising attorney before giving any legal advice. Also, some legal questions may be more complex than they appear during the first interview. It typically takes several weeks for PIP to complete research and give advice. If you have a deadline, we will do our best to give you advice before that deadline, but we cannot guarantee emergency legal services.
Yes, all PIP services are free.
PIP makes educational presentations on various legal topics to community groups, either in person or virtually. We must plan these presentations in advance, therefore please contact our office several months prior to the desired presentation date so we may consider your request for the following semester.
Need Help?
Contact PIP and let's see if we can get your legal questions answered.