Boston College Law School gives its students a wide range of classes to take that are taught by some of the best scholars in the field. Yet, while learning about the law in a classroom is crucial to becoming a successful attorney, nothing prepares you for day-to-day practice more than getting hands-on experience before graduating. That’s where BC Law’s clinics come in.

Law students in their second and third years of study can apply for coveted spots in any of the school’s fifteen clinics. No matter what someone’s legal interest is, there’s a clinic for them! To help students better understand the opportunities available to them, the BC Law Impact Blog is highlighting each of these clinics this semester. Here is our interview with the director of the Housing Justice Clinic, Alan Minuskin.

Tell us about your clinic!

The Civil Litigation Clinic: Housing Justice (Housing Justice Clinic) advises and represents tenants who can’t afford lawyers in several types of housing cases. Our primary focus is eviction defense, as we use our knowledge of the law and the courts to prevent tenants from being evicted when they have viable defenses and counterclaims to litigate. The clinic also represents clients contesting unlawful rejections or terminations from public housing, and sometimes brings affirmative lawsuits against landlords for inappropriate conduct and/or substandard living conditions. These are front-line litigation matters that move quickly from client interview to fact investigation, case assessment, client counseling, and resolution by negotiation (if possible) or adjudication at trial or via dispositive motion. Students in the clinic are certified to practice law in Massachusetts under close, supportive supervision, and they perform all lawyering activities needed for each case. Even though the focus of this clinic is on housing matters, the litigation skills and ethics considerations integral to our practice apply to all civil litigation matters!