New Clinic Offers Legal Aid for Low-income Housing Issues

Akron, Ohio, Aug. 24, 2005 — Low-income tenants facing eviction and other housing issues can now get legal assistance through a new Civil Litigation Clinic at The University of Akron School of Law.

The clinic is a collaboration of the university and the Community Legal Aid Services Inc., with the support of the Akron Bar Association, in response to an overwhelming need for legal representation for Summit County tenants who do not receive governmental rental assistance and are sued for eviction.

All clinic clients must be referred by Legal Aid and meet Legal Aid eligibility requirements. Low-income or elderly prospective clients may call 1-800-998-9454 to determine eligibility for services.

Community Legal Aid serves low-income and elderly residents in eight area counties who have nowhere else to turn when confronted with non-criminal legal problems. According to Sara Strattan, Legal Aid executive director, with a small staff and nearly 70,000 eligible clients in Summit County, Legal Aid prioritizes its housing work to focus on public and subsidized housing cases.

“In 2004, Community Legal Aid received more than 800 requests by tenants for help with housing cases in Summit County alone, and more than 3,800 eviction cases were filed in the Akron Municipal Court,” says Strattan. “Tenants who cannot afford a lawyer are often faced with the very real possibility of homelessness. The Civil Litigation Clinic will make a dramatic difference in the lives of low-income tenants and provide an exceptional opportunity for UA law students to achieve a greater understanding about the legal problems of the poor, and to help clients who otherwise would go unrepresented.”

Terrence Ufholz, president of the Akron Bar Association, says the association is pleased to continue its collaboration with The University of Akron School of Law and to support the efforts of the Community Legal Aid Services in assisting those in need to deal with law-related housing issues.

“The Akron Bar Association, through its member attorneys, is committed to the proposition that our legal system must be accessible, just and fair to all citizens regardless of their financial status in civil and criminal proceedings,” he says.

UA law students who already have or who are eligible for an intern license will represent the clients from initial intake to court appearances. Internship certificates are granted by the Ohio Supreme Court to students who have completed at least two-thirds of their law school credits. The certificate allows the students to work for a public agency under the direct supervision of an attorney. All students working in the Civil Litigation Clinic will be directly supervised by Civil Litigation Clinic Director William Rickett.

“The Civil Litigation Clinic adds a new dimension to our Legal Clinic that has been operating for nearly 40 years,” says Richard L. Aynes, dean of the UA School of Law. “Until now our students have concentrated on representing clients in criminal cases. The new program gives students the opportunity to represent clients in the civil court setting.”

The University of Akron School of Law also offers joint degrees in the fields of taxation, public administration, business administration and human resources management.

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