Housing Law and Policy
Spring term, Block H
Clinical Professor David Grossman
2 classroom credits LAW-38100A
2, 3, or 4 optional clinical credits LAW-38100C
This course will provide an introduction to housing law and policy through an analysis of issues facing advocates for low- and moderate-income tenants and homeowners. We will discuss various government policies, including issues around public housing, subsidies, code enforcement, and rent control; the processes of abandonment and gentrification; and how these policies do or should affect the strategies employed by attorneys and activists striving for effective intervention in the lower income housing market. The class will draw on students' experiences in clinical placements (and elsewhere) as well as the perspectives of a variety of players in the housing market -- among them, developers, tenants, organizers, lobbyists, judges, and a variety of practicing lawyers -- who will appear as guest panelists. Requirements for the course include a paper or a project. There will be no examination.
Students may -- and are encouraged to -- elect a practice component of two, three, or four clinical credits in conjunction with the course. Most clinical placements will be at the WilmerHale Legal Services Center (Post-Foreclosure Eviction/Housing Clinic or Predatory Lending/Consumer Protection Clinic) or the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (for members). A limited number of externship placements may also be arranged through the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs.
Students who would like to participate in the optional clinical component must enroll through clinical registration. Please refer to the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs website (http://www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical) for clinical registration dates and early add/drop deadlines. Students placed at the WilmerHale Legal Services Center must take an additional 2-credit workshop during the semester of clinical work that corresponds with their clinic.