An NMU student group discussed landlord and tenant rights with the Marquette community over cold beers at the Ore Dock Brewing Co. last night.

The Student Law Forum (SLF) hosted their third session of “Suds, Buds & Barristers” Wednesday night, where lawyers met with students to discuss landlord and tenant relations.

Local attorneys Jeremy Pickens and Bill Nordeen were guest speakers for the event and talked about certain renting issues such as damage deposits, subletting, lease contracts, and pet policies, and opened the discussion with questions from the audience.

Consisting mostly of political science majors, the SLF focuses on preparing students for law schools. Events such as the “Suds, Buds & Barristers” allows for students who live off-campus to increase their knowledge of certain issues, said Steve Wood, a senior political science major and president of the SLF.

“We fulfill the goals of our club pretty well,” Wood said. “[SLF] helps students decide whether or not law school is the right path for them, gives them an opportunity to practice the skills they’ll need for succeeding in law school, and to interact with the law community of Marquette.” 

The organization meets up weekly to prepare students for future academic success, such as prepping for the LSAT, touring law schools, volunteering, conducting mock trials and meet-and-greets with local attorneys, Wood said.

“It’s also nice to hang out and become friends with people who have the same interests. It fosters a sense of community.”

Established in 1993, the SLF is advised by Professor Steven Nelson, who teaches political
science at NMU.

“When I went to law school, I had no clue what lawyers did,” Nelson said. “That’s become one of my one important parts of this is to make sure students get to interact with lawyers so they can make a better choice.”

After determining whether law school is the right fit, students can begin taking LSAT sample tests, making connections for letters of recommendation, drafting personal statements and getting involved with the Marquette community, Nelson added. The students have breakfast with barristers, which is a lawyer in common law jurisdictions, and volunteer to answer phone calls for “Ask the Lawyers” on WNMU-TV and other political events held on and off-campus, Nelson said.

“It’s a good social organization in the sense they meet others in the same path as they
are on.”

The SLF will continue their discussions series on Dec. 6 with “Search & Seizure.”