Develop valuable lawyering skills, while improving lives and impacting communities through USC Gould’s Housing Law and Policy Clinic. Students will have the opportunity to address complex housing issues by providing direct legal services to tenants, working alongside Los Angeles-area community groups and meeting with local leaders. In taking part in the clinic, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the housing crisis — from institutional injustices to economic factors to ethical considerations.
In Los Angeles and areas across the U.S., the housing crisis is intensifying. Addressing the challenge requires building a broad skillset of practical training and advocacy skills. As a student in the Gould School’s Housing Law and Policy Clinic, you will be part of an experiential learning environment that encompasses client representation, coursework, policy projects, guest lectures, reflective assignments, workshops, case rounds, field experiences and individual supervision.
Students will explore various models of lawyering that include community, trauma-informed, holistic, movement, and client-centered approaches. In addition, students will be able to examine avenues for tenant-protective legislation and policy change at the municipal, county, state and federal levels. Students will participate in a breadth of legal and community engagement-related work — engaging directly with tenants, coalitions, organizers, community groups and local decision-makers on a regular basis. The clinic’s legal work will involve representing indigent tenants and working alongside community-based housing organizations on matters spanning representation, strategic litigation, and policy. Students will also have the chance to take part in tenants’ rights clinics; meet with advocates and legislative staff on policies; and visit both the Superior Court and Federal Court for observation, practice and proceedings.
JD students may enroll in/apply for the Housing Law and Policy Clinic. Because of the hands-on nature of the clinic, enrollment is available to a limited number of students per academic year.
The clinic consists of weekly classroom seminar and casework within the JD curriculum and, if selected, you will receive academic credit. Students enroll in the clinical course for one academic year.
In addition to developing practical lawyering and advocacy skills, you will gain a substantive education in housing law and policy, grounded in racial and economic justice.
Students will participate in a breadth of legal and community engagement-related work — engaging directly with tenants, coalitions, organizers, community groups and local decision-makers on a regular basis. The clinic’s legal work will involve representing indigent tenants and working alongside community-based housing organizations on matters spanning representation, strategic litigation, and policy. Students will also have the chance to take part in tenants’ rights clinics; meet with advocates and legislative staff on policies; and visit both the Superior Court and Federal Court for observation, practice and proceedings.
You will have the opportunity to develop critical skills through firsthand experience. Our learning goals in the Housing Law and Policy Clinic include, but are not limited to:
Under the supervision of the professor, students are expected to take significant strides in their lawyering abilities, showing competence in the following areas:
Deepika Sharma joined the USC Gould School of Law after previously serving as director of housing policy for the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office and for Councilmember Nithya Raman, where she crafted housing legislation including several amendments that strengthened protections to the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance and oversaw the city’s housing security initiatives. Prior to her policy roles, she served as the supervising attorney at the Eviction Defense Network where she litigated over a dozen bench and jury trials and then as a senior attorney at Public Counsel, where she practiced for more than six years and led the affirmative housing litigation unit. Notably, in that role, Sharma led a multi-building Fair Housing Act case, Martinez v. Optimus, challenging the discriminatory harassment and predation against tenants rampant in gentrifying neighborhoods. The case gained national media attention and included a novel settlement term that set aside housing for voucher holders.
For questions related to the academic programming of Gould’s Housing Law and Policy Clinic, please contact: [email protected]
Please note: at this time, the Gould School Housing Law and Policy Clinic is not accepting new clients or taking on eviction cases. Please contact Stay Housed LA, which offers legal help, workshops, resources and referrals for all tenants in Los Angeles, if you are currently in receipt of an eviction notice or in need of housing legal assistance.
