In 2004 the Law School was awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish a comprehensive clinical education program in Fair Housing. The program opened in Fall semester 2005 with a pilot, developmental phase during which a small group of students helped to develop the clinical program, including procedures, policies, training materials and outreach programs, as well as learn the basics of housing discrimination law, practice and procedure. Students may also work on a limited number of fair housing cases as testers, administrative advocates, researchers or advisers. Students seeking acceptance must have taken a seminar in Housing Discrimination or be concurrently registered in an approved Housing Discrimination, civil rights or externship course.

The Fair Housing Clinic has 2 sections, the basic program and the advanced program. The basic program will be offered as a four-credit, semester long clinical course open to a maximum of 10 students. The Classroom component will consist of two, one and one half hour seminars each week, during which students will study various aspects of the provision of public and private housing in the United States, including the laws prohibiting discrimination, according to race, gender, disability, family size, etc. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and amendments of 1988, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act and other state and local proscriptions on discrimination in housing.

The advanced program will be open only to students who have completed the basic program. The Advanced Fair Housing Clinic will be offered as a 4 credit, semester long clinical course, with particular emphasis on actual administrative casework and outreach and education programs.

Students will be required to participate in a mandatory orientation program, during the first week of classes. Additionally, students will be required to obtain student bar licensure, as set forth above.

Click here to visit the HUSL Fair Housing Web Site

updated: December 28, 2012