Minnesota Law Among Law Schools Nationwide Responding to AG Garland’s Call for Eviction Help
Minnesota Law is among the 99 law schools nationally that have responded to Attorney General Merrick Garland's call to action for stronger access to justice and court reform on eviction prevention.
Garland first announced called for law schools’ assistance last September shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end a federal moratorium on residential evictions enacted early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Law schools from 35 states and Puerto Rico answered the call. In just a few months, law students across the country dedicated nearly 81,000 hours to provide legal assistance to households and communities across the country.
“Five months ago, I asked the legal community to answer the call to help Americans facing eviction,” Garland said earlier today. “Law students and lawyers from across the country stepped up to take on cases, and assisted their clients and communities at a time when our country needed it the most. Today, our work is far from over, and making real the promise of equal justice under law remains our urgent and unfinished mission.”
Minnesota Law has developed specialized pro bono projects to support eviction needs, including partnering with the Twin Cities Housing Justice Research Collective and providing support to organizations in the metro and greater Minnesota. The Law School also awarded fellowship funding for students providing eviction representation at nonprofit organizations and provided opportunities through its Housing Law Clinic and the Community Legal Partnership for Health Clinic for student attorneys to provide advice on housing issues and represent low-income tenants in Housing Court.
Through Minnesota Law’s Saeks Public Interest Residency Program, 3Ls engage in full-time, year-long externships with local organizations addressing eviction issues and serve a second year as a post-graduate fellow.
The Law School has also secured funding to form a new partnership with Legal Aid to support two post-graduate fellows in a Community Legal Fellows Initiative to serve COVID-impacted communities on housing legal issues at community clinics.
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