A Western University service that provides free legal advice has had to pare back its offerings in part due to new rules that allow post-secondary students to opt-out of fees for certain services.

The rules were introduced in January and over the past few days student groups at Western have been bracing for bad news as they begin to learn the number of students who've opted out.

The province has said the changes give students choice and avoid forcing them to pay for services they don't use. Some services, such as health and recreation fees, were deemed essential and not given an opt-out option.

More opt-outs means less money for everything from The Gazette student newspaper to student clubs, food banks and other support programs.

Doug Ferguson is the director of Community Legal Services at Western Law. He said about 20 per cent of Western students opted out of the $5.72 annual fee, money his organization relies on.

It's a hit of about $40,000 to an organization with an annual budget of about $1 million.

The opt-outs, combined with a separate cut to province-wide legal aid, has forced Ferguson to pare back some of the free legal service it offers.

"We provide these services free," he said. "If you hire a lawyer or even a paralegal, in most cases it would cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars."

He said Community Legal Services helps clients deal with everything from landlord tenant disputes to problems with scam artists and predatory lenders.

But due to the funding reductions, Legal Services no longer offers free help with wills, powers of attorney, immigration among other services.

Ferguson believes the funding reductions for legal aid will actually cost the government money in the long run.

"We can't represent as many people now ... and the courts are getting full of self-represented individuals who really don't know what to do, they don't understand the system so that delays the courts and creates more cost."

He said students struggling to deal with legal issues tend to develop health problems.

Also, Ferguson said Community Legal Services plays a key role in allowing Western's law students to gain much-needed experience.

"The students step in and handle the file from start to finish so this is how they learn, it's like the dental clinic at Western," he said.

Ferguson said the province has appointed a committee to study legal aid. He's hoping it will lead to good news.

"Frankly we don't know what the outcome will be," he said. "I hope the government will reconsider the impact of these cuts."