Report tackles the RTC attorney pipline problem from the law school clinic perspective

New York Law School’s Housing Justice Leadership Institute has released a report on survey data from 16 of the 26 jurisdictions that had a tenant right to counsel at the time of the survey (there are now 27).  The intent was to provide ideas and inspiration on how to solve the “pipeline problem” of not enough attorneys being available for newly-created RTC programs (it finds that RTC has created at least 1,350 new housing justice jobs in those 16 jurisdictions since 2017).

A few key portions of the report:

• Of the 81 law schools surveyed in those jurisdictions, 63% have a housing justice or tenants rights clinic.  And 84% of those clinics provide direct tenant representation, while 64% handle affirmative housing litigation and 54% engage in policy advocacy.
• Among its recommendations, the report urges schools to integrate housing justice earlier in the curriculum, hire  full-time educators to run clinics, build stronger relationships with legal aid and organizing organizations, and provide more paid internships/fellowships.

Check out NYLS’s press release.  The report’s release was covered by Law dot com.

In December 2025, the NCCRC co-hosted a webinar with NYLS where the report’s author and several other clinical professors spoke about the report’s findings as well as what they’re doing in their jurisdictions to improve clinic opportunities.