Duration: Two Semester Clinic

Credits: 8 credits (4 credits per semester/letter grade)

Student attorneys in their last two years of law school will represent clients in housing related matters, including post-foreclosure eviction defense, discrimination, public and subsidized housing, and consumer protection matters related to housing. Students will have significant live client contact, and will interview and counsel clients, prepare pleadings, discovery, and memoranda, prepare and argue motions, and conduct negotiations, administrative hearings and trials.Students handle administrative matters before various housing authorities, housing discrimination matters before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and housing cases in Boston Housing Court and Chelsea District Court.

Suffolk has received a grant to work with the Boston Fair Housing Commission to set up a testing program for housing discrimination at Suffolk.Students will have the opportunity to handle discrimination matters arising from this testing program.  Students will also have the opportunity to attend tenants meetings related to the foreclosure crisis at the Chelsea Human Services Collaborative, and to participate in the Housing Court's Lawyer for the Day Program. Preference may be given to students who have relevant foreign language skills or who have taken or will enroll in trial advocacy as of the fall 2012. Students must be available for Thursday morning court appearances on housing cases.

Questions: Contact Professor William Berman at wberman@suffolk.edu