ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

After handling three cases this academic year, Lim said the judicial process has become easier to understand — even if it hasn’t for his friends.

“Sometimes my friends will ask where I’m going or why I’m dressed real nice,” he said. “I don’t think they understand what the judicial system is, but I don’t think anyone would unless you sit through it.”

Typical cases the program handles include residence hall problems, academic dishonesty and judiciary issues, said Elizabeth Gorz, director of Student Defenders.

“It is our job as Student Defenders to help the students assess their various housing concerns, academic concerns and judiciary issues,” Gorz said.

Although Gorz said Student Defenders are responsible for helping clients compose opening and closing statements as well as compile witness lists and questions, the five members also are students balancing classes with cases.

“We’re first and foremost students, but secondly we want to help our fellow student body,” Gorz said. “It’s just like any other job or activity that you do at the university. It’s something that you enjoy, so you make time for it.”

For Student Defenders, making time can sometimes mean choosing between a client and a class.

Lim said he skipped three classes one morning so he could attend a client’s hearing.

“For the most part, you have to clear your schedule or you can’t help them. It’s hard enough to get hearing dates that work for the clients and the people involved,” he said.

Each case and client is different, and Gorz said there is never a specific number of hours a Student Defender can expect to spend on a case.

Students at all stages of the judicial process will come to the program for help, and while some have already been granted a hearing, others have no idea what to do, she said.

“I have students who call me on the Friday that they have their hearing, two hours from that point and you’re scrambling to help them,” she said.

Gorz said 99 percent of the people she meets with are first-time offenders who don’t know how MSU’s judicial system works. For those individuals, the first step is to sit down and explain the judicial structure to them, she said.

Gorz holds office hours for about 16 hours each week, but she said she often ends up spending more time there.

“A lot of time, it ends up being much more than that because there are a lot of cases that you are dealing with,” she said. “You want to put an equal amount of time in for all of the students.”

However, a large portion of the time spent helping a client to prepare for an upcoming hearing isn’t discussed in the Student Defenders office in 332 Student Services.

If Student Defenders member James DeMates’ client sends him a version of a hearing letter while he’s sitting in his dorm, DeMates will go through the letter line by line, making his changes before he sends it back.

“Usually, the office time is not what gets you. Most of the work is done off of the clock,” DeMates said.

But Lindsay Esson, a Student Defenders member, said the time she spends with a client before a hearing is not the only time commitment needed to ensure a positive outcome.

“It’s not only the time you spend with the client, but the time you spend in your room reading through files and letters to make sure you’re prepared,” Esson said.

“Some of the best parts (of being a Student Defender) are watching the case come in, putting the work and time in and watching the case come out in your favor.”