named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Criminal Defense
Provides defense for misdemeanor charges and certain felonies in Onondaga County courts; excludes major or non-drug-related Class A, B, and C felonies
General Counsel and Student Rights
Offers confidential legal advice on university disciplinary hearings, consumer protection, identity theft, small claims, notary services, and powers of attorney
Housing and Lease Reviews
Provides confidential legal review of rental agreements, advises on security deposits, landlord obligations, and tenant rights for off-campus housing
Traffic Tickets and Violations Representation
Offers legal counsel and court representation for eligible moving violations involving points, heard in Onondaga County courts
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Legal Education and Career Pipeline Programs 1 activity
- Employing student legal assistants to support operationsEmploys part-time graduate and undergraduate legal assistants to support student intake, legal research, and case file management within the organization.
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Telehealth and Urgent Care Access 1 activity
- Offering expedited legal appointment schedulingProvides same or next business day appointment scheduling for students seeking legal services, ensuring timely access to counsel.
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Tenant Legal Advocacy & Support Services 1 activity
- Providing housing and lease-related legal supportOffers lease review and legal assistance with housing issues such as security deposits, landlord obligations, and subletting disputes for students at Syracuse University and SUNY ESF.
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Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 1 activity
- Providing legal representation in criminal and traffic casesProvides full legal defense and courtroom representation for eligible students charged with moving violations, traffic tickets, citations, arrests, local violations, misdemeanors, and certain felonies in Onondaga County courts, including Syracuse City Court and local town or village courts.
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Legal Representation for Members 1 activity
- Providing legal representation to the Student AssociationProvides formal legal representation to the Student Association, which is recognized as the sponsoring organization of Student Legal Services Inc.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Providing free legal counsel and court representation to enrolled studentsOffers free and confidential legal advice, counsel, and in-court representation to registered students at Syracuse University and SUNY ESF who have paid the full-time student activity fee. Services include handling university disciplinary hearings, consumer protection, identity theft, small claims, insurance, name changes, and powers of attorney.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$313K
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$309K99%
Investment income$4K1%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$320K
Program expenses63%
Admin / overhead37%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$293K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$24K
Cash$24K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$24K
Liquid reserves0.9 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -3.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHRISTOPER E BURKE | Director | 40 | $95K |
board members · 4
- ALEXIS LEACH — Treasurer
- DANIEL KIMMEL — Chairperson
- GERMAN NOLIVOS — Vice Chair
- GUSTAVO MADERO — Secretary
relationships · 7
Who they work with
- Onondaga County Government — Provides legal representation in court for eligible student offenses within Onondaga County.
- SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Partner — Cooperating institution enabling access to its enrolled students who pay the full-time student activity fee.
- SUNY ESF Government — Provides legal services exclusively to students at SUNY ESF.
- Student Association Partner — Sponsoring organization for which Student Legal Services provides legal representation.
- Syracuse University Government — Provides legal services exclusively to students at Syracuse University.
- Syracuse University Partner — Primary institutional partner providing access to student population and likely administrative support for service delivery.
- Syracuse University College of Law Network — Draws legal assistants from the student body of Syracuse University College of Law.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Confidential Student Support Modelmethodology: confidential_student_supportBy offering a confidential and safe environment for students to address legal issues, the organization increases help-seeking behavior and supports academic persistence, because confidentiality reduces stigma and fear of institutional exposure, particularly in sensitive housing or personal matters.
- Defendant-Only Legal Representationmethodology: defendant-only_representationBy providing legal representation exclusively to students who are defendants in legal actions, the organization focuses its resources on defending students against claims, thereby reducing the risk of adverse legal outcomes that could impact academic success, because proactive defense in response to active legal proceedings is prioritized over initiating legal actions or advisory-only support.
- Independent Student Representationmethodology: independent_student_representationBy operating independently of university administrations, the organization strengthens attorney-client privilege and ensures student trust, thereby increasing the likelihood that students will seek help, because perceived institutional neutrality enhances confidentiality and client loyalty in sensitive legal matters.
- Jurisdiction-Limited Legal Representationmethodology: jurisdiction-limited_legal_representationBy limiting formal court representation to cases within Onondaga County, the organization ensures effective service delivery within its operational and licensing capacity, while still providing legal advice for out-of-county matters, because geographic constraints are used to maintain quality and compliance without fully denying support for broader issues.