Student Affairs

Student Legal Services director co-authors landlord-tenant law treatise

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ever since she started working for Penn State Student Legal Services, director Kelly Mroz has used the fourth edition of the “Pennsylvania Landlord-Tenant Law and Practice” book by local attorney Ron Friedman as a go-to reference. For the newly released fifth edition, she helped write it.

A new edition of the book is written approximately every 10 years, with annual supplementary inserts. Friedman, who has written the first four editions and supplements, is joined by Mroz as a co-author for the fifth edition, published on Nov. 28.

“Ron Friedman is known statewide for his knowledge of landlord-tenant law. It was amazing to have him as a mentor and partner in writing this book,” Mroz said. “He shared everything — practical tips, insights into best practices, strategies for avoiding burnout, how to sort through sticky legal points.”

Mroz’s experiences working at Student Legal Services helped her contribute to the book.

“The State College area has dense, multifamily housing units with high turnover rates,” she said. “We review hundreds of leases for students each year and the disputes that arise are often at the cutting edge of landlord-tenant law in Pennsylvania.”

Mroz added that writing the fifth edition has made her even more familiar with Pennsylvania landlord-tenant law, which will help her serve Student Legal Services better.

“Whenever I’ve taught anything, whether it’s been classes at the University or continuing education for lawyers, I always feel like I learn more than my students do by teaching it, because I have to understand it so much more thoroughly,” Mroz said. “This is so much of a learning experience for me to have to understand so many nuances of the law in such a deep way. I’m really excited about that aspect.”

Student Legal Services, a unit of Student Affairs, is a law office available to assist students with a variety of personal legal issues. Student Legal Services offers free lease reviews and assists students with security deposit returns and other issues that arise during the term of the lease.

In addition to landlord-tenant concerns, the office provides services on a wide range of issues, including immigration matters, traffic tickets, summary offenses, name changes, divorces, consumer issues and estate planning documents. Through five full-time licensed attorneys and two law clerks, the office can provide representation, advice, document drafting or referrals, and it handles a variety of criminal and civil cases. It is funded by the Student Initiated Fee and available to students at University Park and the Commonwealth Campuses.

Student Legal Services is located at 248 E. Calder Way, Suite 303, in State College and offers in-person and virtual meetings. Students can request services by completing an intake form. They can make an appointment to meet with an attorney or visit drop-in hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Last Updated January 18, 2023