LAW-628 - Housing Advocacy Clinic

Semester Credits: 3 Weeks: 16

The Housing Advocacy Clinic is an innovative program that places third and fourth year law students in our virtual clinical office to provide direct representation to low-income clients facing the imminent threat of a loss of their housing. The clinic represents defendants in Superior Court unlawful detainer actions in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties, provides assistance to clients in Rent Board proceedings, advocates on behalf of tenants with habitability defects and in fair housing matters, and provides counseling with several organizations including but not limited to Bay Area Legal Aid, San Francisco Tenants Union and Project Homeless Connect.

The Clinic strives to meet the two-fold purpose of teaching students to be advocates for social justice through direct hands-on experience and instruction in lawyering skills and values, and of providing a service to the community through the provision of quality legal services to low income tenants and other disadvantaged and under-served groups. The Housing Advocacy Clinic allows students to take on the responsibility of all aspects of legal cases under the close supervision of the clinic director. Students obtain the status of certified legal intern from the State Bar of California and may appear in court as legal advocates for their clients. All students staff an advice and counseling hotline and attend weekly seminars and conferences to develop strong lawyering skills and to discuss the political ramifications of their work.