Effective the Fall 2022 Semester, Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS) in partnership with Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation (AVLF) is kick-starting a new Landlord Tenant Hybrid Clinic to address the housing crisis in Atlanta. The inaugural cohort of six AJMLS students will be working with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation‘s Safe and Stable Homes Project and the Stand with Our Neighbors Initiative which helps to fight evictions and stabilize housing for families. AVLF has been a leading provider of pro bono services to Atlanta residents for over 40 years. By leveraging partnerships with the top law firms in Atlanta, AVLF has provided superior legal representation to low-income tenants to prevent illegal evictions and improve poor housing conditions.
“Thousands of Atlanta tenants have to tolerate unacceptable housing conditions and the looming threat of displacement. Addressing this crisis requires developing alternative community-based approaches,” said Michael Lucas, AVLF Executive Director, “we are excited to partner with Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors and help develop the next generation of attorneys who want to be part of the solution.”
The AJMLS Landlord Tenant Hybrid Clinic combines traditional academic learning with practical, real world law practice experience. The goal is to help students learn specific subject matter concepts and then apply them to assist Atlanta residents obtain better outcomes when conflicts arise with landlords. Participating students will become better problem-solvers, flexible thinkers, develop applicable professional skills, and explore pro bono work on a deep and concrete level.
Under the supervision of a licensed attorney, the students will put into practice basic litigation skills such as client interviews, document reviews, issue spotting, drafting pleadings, negotiation with adverse parties, and bench trial preparation for eviction clients represented in Fulton County Magistrate Court.
The course counts for 4 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters, and will be taught by attorney and Adjunct Professor, Ayanna Jones-Lightsy, Co-Director of AVLF’s Safe and Stable Homes Project, beginning the Fall 2022 semester. Students interested in participating in the Landlord Tenant Hybrid Clinic should contact Mr. Paul Wilson at pwilson@johnmarshall.edu or Dr. Jymmyca Wyatt-Keyton at jwyatt@johnmarshall.edu. Applications can be found on the AJMLS 12Twenty platform.