There's a unusual item on the menu at the Hollywood Diner: legal advice.

On some Thursday afternoons, customers can sit down for 30 minutes with lawyers from Civil Justice, Inc. at Crema Coffee Company at the Hollywood Diner and get guidance on issues including taxes, housing, family law or employment law as well as criminal law in exchange for a $10 (cash only) donation.

Through the program, called The Legal Grind, attorneys can also help people expunge court records for only the cost of the filings (no donation required for this service).

It's an adaptation of a "coffee and counsel" model adopted by Jeffrey Hughes, the founder of Legal Grind cafes in southern California.

Law students at the University of Maryland School of Law help with the intake process and can sit in on the consultations if the clients permit, according to the video posted above.

The service started this summer and is designed to provide people better access to the legal system --- particularly if they make too much money to afford legal aid services, but not enough to be able to afford $150 an hour for an attorney. The lawyers aren't taking these folks on as clients, but will refer people to other resources as needed.

The Hollywood Diner isn't their only location, however ...