Legal Resources

Understanding your rights and accessing legal assistance is important for students navigating various challenges. We recognize this need and have provided some legal resources to protect your rights and address legal concerns. Whether it's assistance with landlord-tenant disputes, employment issues, or understanding legal processes, we hope our resources can help.

On this page, you'll find resources for:

Disclaimer: The materials provided on this page are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be legal advice. If you have any questions or would like any advice on the topics on this website, please consult an attorney.

ASUCD Legal Services

ASUCD offers undergraduate students free 30-minute legal consultations with an attorney.

Please follow these instructions to schedule an appointment:

  • Email hq@asucd.ucdavis.edu a picture of the undergraduate student ID, phone number, and brief description of the nature of the problem
  • HQ will send a variety of appointments available. Email the preferred time to schedule the appointment.
    • Please note: Appointments are every thirty minutes within the given time frames
  • On appointment day, our attorney will call you at your appointment time
    • Please note: The attorney we work with is actively practicing, which means that they could get called into court at any time. Because of this, there is a chance that they may be unavailable at your appointment time. If this happens we ask that you wait 24 hours to see if they contact you. 

At this time, legal services are only offered to undergraduate students. Graduate students, please refer to gsa.ucdavis.edu/contracted-resources for resources about legal services.

 

Disability Accommodation

Federal and California law require that educational institutions provide certain disability accommodations. For more information about available accommodations and to request an accommodation, please visit the UC Davis Student Disability Center website.

 

Fraud Protection

As a consumer, you can protect yourself from fraud and other business-related crimes. You should be aware of common issues and scams that occur when partaking in consumer activities, such as opening a credit card or taking out a loan. Please visit the State of California Department of Justice’s Protecting Consumers website for information and tips.

If you are a victim of fraud or another business-related crime and would like to file a complaint against a business, you can do so at the State of California Department of Justice’s Consumer Complaint Against A Business/Company page or the California Department of Consumer Affairs Complaints page.

If you would like information about student loans, including borrowing and repaying loans, please visit the Loans page of the UC Davis Financial Aid and Scholarships website.

 

Free Speech & Protest Rights

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects your right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest on UC Davis’s campus. Please visit UC Davis’s Student Expression website to learn more about your legal rights and UC Davis policies concerning free speech.

 

Hate & Bias

UC Davis is committed to confronting and rejecting “all manifestations of discrimination, including those based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, (dis)ability, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, status within or outside the university, or any of the other differences among people which have been excuses for misunderstanding, dissension or hatred.”

For more information on hate, bias, discrimination or harassment, visit the UC Davis Report Hate and Bias website.

If you have witnessed or been a target of discrimination, harassment, or a  hate- or bias-motivated incident on campus or while participating in a University-sponsored activity and would like to report it, you can find information on how to do so on the website’s “Filing a Report” page.

 

Interactions with Law Enforcement

All individuals have certain rights when interacting with law enforcement, whether you’re approached on the street, in your car, in your home, or at your workplace. The following resources provide guidance on citizens’ rights in police interactions.

You can find a downloadable and printable ACLU “What to Do If You’re Stopped by Police, Immigration Agents, or the FBI” Card here.

If you would like to file a complaint about an interaction with a police officer, please visit the applicable site below for instructions:

 

Renter's Rights

Renters have certain rights when looking for and renting a house or apartment from a landlord. The following resources provide guidance on California renters’ rights and conflict resolution.

You have the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, family status, and other protected characteristics when looking for and renting a house or apartment. Visit the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing’s Housing Discrimination website for more information.

 

Safe Party Information

Visit UC Davis’s Safe Party website for information and tips on how to safely host and attend a party, including guidelines on relevant alcohol consumption laws and UC Davis policies.

 

Services for International Students & Scholars

UC Davis welcomes scholars and students from all over the world. For services available to international students and scholars, including information on visas, residency, taxes, and employment, visit the Services for International Students and Scholars website.

 

Sexual Assault, Dating/Domestic Violence, and Stalking

 

Sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, and stalking are crimes under the California Penal Code and are prohibited by the UC Davis Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy.

If you are a victim of or have any questions about sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, or stalking, please visit UC Davis’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response website.
On the website’s Get Support page, you can find a list of confidential and non-confidential campus resources, as well as confidential off-campus resources.

If eligible, victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault can also receive free civil legal services from the UC Davis Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic.

 

Taxes

Most individuals need to file state and/or federal tax returns. For more information about filing requirements, please visit the following websites.

For information about the 1098-T Form, the tuition payment statement issued by UC Davis, visit Student Accounting’s Tax Information page.

Students in VITA is a UC Davis student organization where IRS-certified student volunteers provide free tax return preparation to qualified individuals. For more information and eligibility requirements, visit the Students in VITA website.

 

Traffic Accidents

If you have been involved in a traffic accident, you should take safety precautions and promptly report the accident to your insurance company, the police, and possibly the Department of Motor Vehicles. Please review the following guides for steps to take after an accident.

 

Traffic Tickets

You can be issued a ticket for a violation of a California traffic law whether you are driving a car or riding a bicycle. Please visit the California Courts’ Traffic Self-Help website for more information on steps to take after receiving a ticket.

 

Undocumented Student Services

UC Davis strives to make education available to all students, regardless of citizenship status. For more information about services available to noncitizen students, please visit the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center website and the University of California’s Undocumented Student Resources website.

The UC Immigrant Legal Services Center provides legal services to undocumented students in the UC system and their families, as well as to students who are U.S. citizens with undocumented family members. For more information, visit the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center website.