FAIR HOUSING LEGAL CLINIC

As part of its Fair Housing Legal Support Center, the law school operates the Fair Housing Legal Clinic, where students represent clients in the Chicago metropolitan area who have been denied housing because of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, familial status, marital status, age, source of income or sexual orientation.  

  PRESS RELEASE 02/05/2009: Lake County Housing Authority Stopped from Cutting Off Housing Assistance to Elderly Sisters

 History of the Fair Housing Legal Clinic

The John Marshall Law School Fair Housing Legal Clinic was established in 1993 by co-founders Professors F. Wills Caruso and Michael P. Seng, and is one of the few law school clinics in the US devoted exclusively to fair housing training and enforcement. Corinne Morissey served as its first Clinical Director.  The Clinic serves clients in the Chicago metropolitan area who have been illegally denied housing because of discrimination under federal, state, and local fair housing laws and ordinances. These are individuals who would not otherwise have access to an attorney. The Clinic is also engaged in community outreach activities to inform consumers about fair housing laws and the work of the Clinic. 
Persons in the Chicago metropolitan area who are in need of legal assistance because of a discriminatory housing practice can contact the Clinic by phone (312) 786-2267 or by email.  

Our Clinical Students  

Fair Housing Clinic Students work under the supervision of our Clinical Professors, who are licensed attorneys and specialists in fair housing law. Second and third-year law students are eligible to gain practical experience and earn credits at the Fair Housing Legal Clinic' brand-new facility.  We encourage staff, students, and faculty to visit our new facilities and learn more about he fair Housing Legal clinic at John Marshall.  For more information, please contact Allison K. Bethel at 7bethel@jmls.edu.

Internships

Students participating in John Marshall's Fair Housing Legal Clinic begin by taking a two-hour seminar on fair housing law and practice taught by F. Willis Caruso, one of the leading authorities in fair housing law in the United States. Thereafter, students may work in the Fair Housing Clinic and receive additional academic credit. In addition to learning the substance of fair housing law, the Clinic offers students an opportunity to participate in federal court litigation and sometimes in state and administrative proceedings. Students learn how cases are investigated and prepared. They may have the opportunity to help draft pleadings, prepare motions and hearings for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, conduct discovery, and assist in trials and hearings or possible appeals.

Intern Requirements:

1. Interns are required to work on fair housing matters for four hours for each hour they sign up; a two hour credit would equal to eight hours of work per week.
 
2. The intern must attend the orientation meeting on the first Monday of the new semester from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. and weekly meetings on each Monday from 12 - 1:30 p.m.
 
 
3. If the intern has a chance to argue a case in court or take a deposition, time away from intern's employment may be necessary. 

The Fair Housing Association was recognized with the Most Active Student Organization in an Area of Law award at the Student Bar Association’s annual Spring Fling event in April. Associate Dean William B. Powers (right) presents the award to association president Vishal Chabria.