Civil Rights & Transparency Clinic

Our Cases: These cases are representative of the clinic’s docket.

• A NY state court appeal to overturn a trial court ruling in a housing voucher discrimination case.
• Defending tenants facing eviction in Buffalo City Court.
• A public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in support of a proposed rule to reduce housing segregation.
• Litigation to enforce freedom of information requests, such as requests for the government to release accurate statistics on suicides in local jails.
• Legal name change petitions for transgender clients.

Our Clients: We represent a range of clients that include individual victims of civil rights violations; investigative journalists and news organizations; and grassroots, regional and national advocacy organizations. Past clients include the New York Civil Liberties Union, Investigative Post, Housing Opportunities Made Equal, and Partnership for the Public Good.  Recognizing that people of color, women, and people with disabilities are disproportionately evicted, we have joined the Eviction Prevention Program of Western New York to defend tenants facing eviction. Our partners include Neighborhood Legal Services, the Volunteer Lawyers Project, the Center for Elder Law and Justice, the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, and the Western New York Law Center.

Student Engagement: This clinic is designed for student attorneys to grow into the attorneys they want to be. Our clinic offers invaluable hands-on experience practicing law, under the supportive supervision of clinical professors. Student attorneys can expect to learn critical lawyering skills to become practice ready (which are increasingly on the bar exam). They work on cutting-edge legal issues and make a positive difference. They walk away with more confidence, a better sense of their lawyering identity, and practical skills that an employer will value. Our student attorneys lead on all aspects of our client representations. Students litigate in local state and federal courts and before government agencies. An effective lawyer has a toolbox that includes more than litigation. They also engage in non-litigation advocacy like drafting white papers and policy proposals, presenting them to key decisionmakers.