Eviction Defense and Tenant Protection Clinic - The Legal Aid Society

Course Description

Experiential Learning/Fieldwork

Students will serve as student lawyers advocating on behalf of low-income New Yorkers to stabilize their homes and their families and hold landlords accountable.

Students will participate in the intake process in the courthouses, gather evidence, prepare affidavits and write motions, prepare for and conduct oral arguments on motions, and join in trial preparation. Students will be the lead point of contact with the client and take ownership of the case and client relationship. Students will primarily work inside housing court. Students will be supervised by the professors of this course.

Seminar

Students will learn Housing Court procedure, the substantive laws pertaining to defending housing in New York City, and ethical rules in working with low-income clients. The seminar will also focus on cultivating lawyering skills through in-class exercises and developing strategies to tackle various types of client matters and cases. Guest speakers will visit who are experts in various aspects of housing law, trauma-informed lawyering, and housing policy. By this means, the seminar will expose students to various careers paths in the affordable housing and tenant protection space.

Application Procedure

Students who wish to apply to the Eviction Defense and Tenant Protection Clinic should submit via CAMS the standard application, resume and transcript, as well as a writing sample (preferably not more than five pages long) and three references (include these on your resume).

Please note there is a separate application form for LL.M.s. The deadline is different than for JDs, and is posted on the Clinic Application Timelines page.

* Consult the Clinics Open to LL.M. Students page to see if the clinic is available to LL.M.s in the current year.

** 10 credits include 3 clinical credits and 2 academic seminar credits each semester.