People's Law School: UH offering free legal advice this weekend

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Whether you have a disagreement with a car dealership, landlord, or even a contractor you hired to rebuild after Hurricane Harvey, there may come a time when you believe you've been wronged by a business and need legal assistance.

We all know those fees can add up quickly, but Saturday you'll have a chance to get the guidance you need for free.

In the Turn to Ted office, we get calls asking for assistance with a consumer complaint every day. We wish we could answer them all, but sometimes we have to say, "you don't need a reporter, you need a lawyer." This weekend, the law center at the University of Houston is offering legal advice for free.

Ryan Marquez will be one of those people on hand providing free legal assistance to anyone who shows up to the People's Law School.

These classes are taught by experts, and only offered twice a year.

"The top three... we get a lot of landlord-tenant repair issues," Marquez said. "We get a lot of car purchase issues, both used or new. And the third one, I would say, we do have a lot of contractors' disputes with people getting their houses repaired."

Marquez says the classes will teach you what you need to know about issues and how to handle disputes. For example, many people try to handle landlords themselves, then make key errors.

"People often don't know exactly how to handle repair issues and one of the main focuses we get is they get upset, and then they decide not to pay their rent, and that's actually the worst thing that can happen," Marquez said.

To break a lease, you must typically send at least two notices (and track the notice receipt), but before you walk away, it's recommended you first go to a court and ask a judge to release you from your lease.

These law experts will also help you decide the right time to hire an attorney.

"Once you realize you're being wronged, then is it something I can handle myself, like maybe in the justice court with a small claim, or is this something that I maybe should hire an attorney?"

It's great advice at a great price.

To seek help from the People's Law School at the University of Houston, they ask that you show up around 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning to register and choose the class you want to take.

Have a tip for Ted Oberg? A problem to solve? Get in touch with us on our tip page, or send a tip below. (On mobile? You can open our form by tapping here.)