The Penn Housing Rights Project (PHRP) connects Penn Law students with local attorneys to support low-income tenants in disputes with their landlords.

What we do:

We pair trained Penn Law students with Philadelphia attorneys at Dechert, Philadelphia VIP, and Community Legal Services, who are representing low-income clients in housing court disputes with landlords. 

How we do it:

At the beginning of each year, we host a training session to prepare students for taking on a case. Once assigned a case, students work closely with tenant’s counsel to prepare the client for housing court. Students will often go into housing court with counsel, and can become a certified legal intern once a second semester 2L to take a more active role in representing the client in court.

How and when can I join:

Interested volunteers may complete a volunteer application that will be distributed at the beginning of the academic year. If you have any questions, please reach out to pennhousingrights@gmail.com.

What skills will I develop:

In-court advocacy, negotiation, trial prep, trial strategy, investigation, legal research, legal analysis, collaboration, conflict resolution, client counseling, working with vulnerable clients

The work is likely to be New York Bar eligible.