About the Course
The Housing Justice Clinic is a semester-long course, offered for 6 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters, and for 4 credit hours in the summer. Housing Justice Clinic student-attorneys provide direct, limited scope legal representation to low- to moderate-income tenants facing eviction each week throughout the semester in collaboration with the Tenant Assistance Project in Lancaster County. Students may also have opportunities to represent clients in more complex landlord-tenant matters, such as damage deposit disputes, habitability claims, and Fair Housing Act litigation.
Housing Justice Clinic student-attorneys attend seminars throughout the semester in which they learn about applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as professional skills ranging from negotiating with opposing counsel, to trauma-informed client counseling, to arguing preliminary motions on behalf of clients. Student-attorneys also engage in reflective practice sessions, which are aimed at developing tools to promote greater self-awareness—leading to more ethical and effective legal work—and processing the vicarious trauma and stress that are common in the legal profession, particularly when working with clients in crisis.
The Housing Justice Clinic provides exceptional preparation for students planning to work in civil litigation, criminal defense, or public interest law. Equally important, the Clinic provides student-attorneys with an opportunity to utilize their legal training to do impactful work providing crucial legal services to Nebraskans who would otherwise go unrepresented and likely face immediate eviction from their homes.
How To Get Involved
Enrollment in the Housing Justice Clinic is limited to third-year law students who are eligible for senior certification under Neb. Ct. R. §§ 3-701 to 3-706. Legal Profession is a prerequisite for the Housing Justice Clinic, and Pretrial Litigation is required prior to or concurrent with Clinic enrollment. To participate in the Clinic, students must be available for courthouse shifts two mornings each week between 8:00 and 11:30 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. Students can apply for the Housing Justice Clinic through the College of Law’s clinical application process that takes place each spring.
Pro bono volunteer opportunities are available to all Nebraska Law students through the Tenant Assistance Project.
Housing Justice Summer Fellowship Program
The Housing Justice Summer Fellowship Program provides recent graduates from the University of Nebraska College of Law with the opportunity to engage in short-term, paid work with the Housing Justice Clinic. Summer Fellows gain valuable litigation experience assisting tenants facing eviction through the Tenant Assistance Project under the continued supervision and mentorship of the Housing Justice Clinic Director, Rachel Tomlinson Dick.
The Housing Justice Fellowship Program runs for 6 weeks from mid-May through June each summer, with Fellows committing a total of 50 hours—or approximately 8 hours per week. The Fellowship Program is limited to recent graduates who have participated in the Clinical Law Program during their 3L year and are senior certified under Neb. Ct. R. §§ 3-701 to 3-706.
