Heather K. Way
- Clinical Professor
Heather Way directs the Housing Policy Clinic and teaches in the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic. A national expert in housing and community development law, Professor Way serves on the governing committee of the American Bar Association's Affordable Housing and Community Development Forum. Her work has contributed to many high-impact legal reforms at the state and local levels.
Featured Work
Combatting Rental Junk Fees at the State and Local Levels
Heather K. Way joined the Texas Law faculty in 2006, where she directs the Housing Policy Clinic and teaches in the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic. A national expert in housing and community development policy and a frequent commentator in the media, Professor Way focuses on housing stability, opening paths to economic opportunity, and fostering equitable and inclusive communities.
Professor Way’s work has contributed to many high-impact legal reforms at the state and local levels including, most recently, laws to facilitate the creation of community land trusts and broaden heir property owners’ access to property tax relief programs. Professor Way is also the co-founder of the Uprooted Project, which provides resources and strategies for addressing displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods in Texas.
Her current work includes a focus on increasing the housing stability of homeowners with heirs’ property (for example, here and here) and addressing substandard housing. Other recent work includes a community toolkit developed with law students on preserving historic places with ties to African-American heritage and an analysis of the property tax breaks available for affordable housing complexes sponsored by public facility corporations. Professor Way is also the author of Real Property for the Real World, a book of hands-on case studies for law students in property law courses.
Professor Way serves as the co-chair of the Community Development Practitioners and Legal Educators Practice Group for the American Bar Association’s Affordable Housing and Community Development Forum.
After graduating from The University of Texas School of Law, where she co-founded the Public Interest Law Association and was Grand Chancellor, Professor Way clerked for the Honorable William Wayne Justice of the Eastern District of Texas and served as a Skadden Fellow representing tenants and community groups at Legal Aid of Central Texas in Austin. Following her fellowship, she co-founded and directed Texas Community Building with Attorney Resources (Texas C-BAR), a statewide program that has delivered millions of dollars in pro bono transactional legal resources to community organizations.
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year-2024
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Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Combatting Rental Junk Fees at the State and Local Levels
Heather K. Way. "Combatting Rental Junk Fees at the State and Local Levels." National webinar hosted by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Consumer Law Center, Housing Policy Clinic, and BASTA (November 20, 2024).
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Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
A Right to Stay: Dallas Neighborhood Anti-Displacement Toolkit,
Heather K. Way. Moderator for Panel on "A Right to Stay: Dallas Neighborhood Anti-Displacement Toolkit," hosted by Builders of Hope and JPMorgan Chase, Dallas, Texas (November 14, 2024).
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Report
The Intersection of Residential Heirs' Property and Property Tax Foreclosure
Heather K. Way. “The Intersection of Residential Heirs' Property and Property Tax Foreclosure” (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, November 8, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Hot Housing Policy Topics in the 2025 Texas Legislative Session
Heather K. Way. “Hot Housing Policy Topics in the 2025 Texas Legislative Session” at 2024 Policy Summit, Texas Association of CDCs (November 7, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Local Government Issues: Blight, Code Enforcement, and Property Tax Foreclosure
Heather K. Way. “Local Government Issues: Blight, Code Enforcement, and Property Tax Foreclosure” at Estate Planning & Heirs’ Property Intensive, National Consumer Law Center, 2024 Consumer Rights Litigation Conference (October 23, 2024). -
Other Publication
The Impacts of Heirs' Property on Homeowners in North Texas
Heather K. Way and Noah J Durst. "The Impacts of Heirs' Property on Homeowners in North Texas" (Asset Funders Network, October 9, 2024). View online.
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Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Heirs’ Property Homeowners: Pathways and Pitfalls to Achieving Housing Stability
Heather K. Way. “Heirs’ Property Homeowners: Pathways and Pitfalls to Achieving Housing Stability” at 2024 Poverty Law Conference, State Bar of Texas (August 29, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Property Tax Justice and Heirs' Property
Heather K. Way. “Property Tax Justice and Heirs' Property” at Law & Society Association Annual Meeting (June 6, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Property Tax Foreclosures and Heirs Property
Heather K. Way. “Property Tax Foreclosures and Heirs Property” at 2024 Mortgage Conference, National Consumer Law Center and National Association of Consumer Advocates (June 4, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Teaching and Facilitating Teamwork in a Transactional Law Clinic
Heather K. Way. “Teaching and Facilitating Teamwork in a Transactional Law Clinic” at 20th Annual Transactional Clinical Conference, St. Louis University, School of Law (May 1, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Public Facility Corporations, Pitfalls and Opportunities
Heather K. Way. “Public Facility Corporations, Pitfalls and Opportunities” at ULI Multifamily Local (Austin) District Council, Webinar (April 16, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Public Facility Corporations, Pitfalls and Opportunities
Heather K. Way. "Public Facility Corporations, Pitfalls and Opportunities, hosted by ULI’s Multifamily Local (Austin) District Council (April 16, 2024).
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Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Moderator, Advancing Housing Affordability in Counties
Heather K. Way. Moderator, "Advancing Housing Affordability in Counties" at UT School of Law Land Use Law Conference, Austin, TX (April 5, 2024).
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Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Heirs’ Property Homeowners: Barriers to Resilience
Heather K. Way. “Heirs’ Property Homeowners: Barriers to Resilience” at Fannie Mae's National Convening on Heirs’ Property: Past and Future, Fannie Mae Headquarters, Washington D.C. (April 4, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Property Tax Foreclosures of Heirs' Property Homes
Heather K. Way. “Property Tax Foreclosures of Heirs' Property Homes” at Heirs’ Property and the Racial Wealth Gap Conference, Boston College Law School (March 22, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Heirs' Property and Homeownership in Texas
Heather K. Way. “Heirs' Property and Homeownership in Texas” at Asset Funders Network Convening on Heirs' Property, United Way, Fort Worth, TX (February 29, 2024). -
Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Heirs' Property and Disasters
Heather K. Way. “Heirs' Property and Disasters” at Disaster Primr 2024: Interfaces of Disaster, Texas A&M University (February 24, 2024). -
Other Activity
Moderator, Community Development from the Frontlines
Heather K. Way. Moderator, "Community Development from the Frontlines" at UT School of Law Nonprofit Organizations Institute, Austin, TX (February 9, 2024).
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Report
Combatting Junk Fees in Texas Rental Housing: A Pathway to Fairer and More Transparent Leasing Practices
Elizabeth Blackford, Madison DeLuca, Nicholas Heflin, and Heather K. Way. "Combatting Junk Fees in Texas Rental Housing: A Pathway to Fairer and More Transparent Leasing Practices" (BASTA Austin, January 31, 2024). View online.
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Presentation / Panelist / Discussant
Policy in Motion: Equity in Transit Access
Heather K. Way. Panelist, "Policy in Motion: Equity in Transit Access" at UT LBJ School of Public Affairs (January 31, 2024).