Students will assist a private attorney in providing pro bono representation to a client who filed a lawsuit against his previous landlord for unlawfully withholding his security deposit and discriminating against him on the basis of his disability. The case is currently set for trial before the Travis County Justice of the Peace in February 2021 but that date is likely to change. Settlement negotiations also are ongoing. If the case does go to trial, there may be a need for student assistance with some or all of the following: legal research related to client’s claims; drafting a motion for discovery and related discovery requests; preparing witness testimony and declarations; preparing exhibits and compiling other evidence for trial; and participating in remote hearings with the court. If the case does not go to trial, the student likely will have the opportunity to participate in negotiations with opposing counsel, drafting a settlement agreement and related case filings, and client meetings.
Organization
Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas
Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas helps low-income clients access the civil justice system by providing volunteer attorneys who donate free legal advice and representation, and by supporting and training those attorneys. The students on this project with work one-on-one with VLS volunteer attorney Ann Heaps, a career public interest attorney who currently focuses on impact litigation at a local nonprofit organization. Ann has been supervising law clerks since 2012 and enjoys working with law students interested in social justice litigation.
Project Details
- Website
- http://www.vlsoct.org
- Project Start Date
February 2021
- Approximate hours of work requested
- 5-25 hours total over the course of the semester, with the number of hours depending on whether the case goes to trial this spring; students will work with the supervising attorney to set a schedule for specific assignments
- Training
- TBD based on student volunteer availability; additional training will be provided on an ongoing basis and students will have access to relevant models and training resources
- Skills used
- Legal research/writing; client and witness interviewing; trial preparation; observing remote court proceedings
- Project location
- Virtual
- Address
- 8001 Centre Park Drive #120, Austin, TX
- Number of student volunteers requested
- 2
- Class year preference
- 1L, 2L, 3L, LLM
- Required skills
- Strong research, writing, and communication skills required; students with an interest social justice and public interest are strongly encouraged to apply
- To Apply
- Upload a resume and 5-7 page writing sample to Box at this link https://utexas.app.box.com/f/e96a0d03c3c84ae887ff4bc69d91028b with files labeled “[Your Name] [Document Type (Resume or Writing Sample)]”; applications received by noon on Wednesday, January 27 will receive priority consideration