Law School Honor Students Provide Legal Aid, Gratis

What with rubbing shoulders with "haunts," paranoiacs, enraged students's wives, and bad-tempered landlords, the 33 Law School honor students who compose the Legal Aid Society lead a "harrying but interesting" existence within their headquarters in Gannet House, according to President Walter M. Robinson 3L.

Currently initiating a drive to expand its facilities to meet the growing demands of its clientele, the society is a philanthropic organization handling all but criminal cases for students and Cambridge residents unable to afford a lawyer.

The society has full legal authority by a declaratory judgment of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. The "would-be" lawyers carry all cases through to trial and final court judgment for a fee of 25 cents.

The Bureau attempts to settle most cases out of court, however, and of the 809 handled last year, 319 of them for Harvard students, only 16 had to go to court. Fourteen of these eases were won.

"Among the landlord eviction, divorce, and traffic violation cases that predominate, we get a few crack-pot cases of an extra-legal nature," Jerome J. Shestack stated bemusedly last night.

One female client attempted to enlist the society's support in stopping a young man from putting a "hox" on her step-daughter. The girl was forced to take to her bed under the influence of the man's evil machinations according to the woman's testimony.

Ponderous legal terminology was enough to cool the supernatural powers of the accused, who, faced with large sheets of official looking literature, ceased his supernaturel activities without appearing in court.

Another client, a Radcliffe student of dubious mental powers, entered complaint against several national magazines for using her picture on their covers without her permission. As evidence, the near-sighted girl displayed photographs of Lana Turner and Jean Tierney in poses of semi nudity. The law students were hard pressed for authoritative legal precedence in the case, but again succeeded in satisfying the plaintive without resorting to court procedure.

"Though exceptions, such cases are amusing complements to the legal experience we derive from our work for the society," Robinson said.