When I applied to the St. Mary’s University School of Law as a prospective law student, I did not know what type of law truly interested me. All I knew was that I wanted to help people. I sought personal fulfillment through service and assisting the underprivileged and voiceless.
During my time at St. Mary’s Law, I wrote for the student-run law journal, The Scholar: St. Mary’s Journal on Race and Social Justice, and connected with many lifelong friends — including my future husband. By sharing perspectives with my professors and classmates, I gained insight into areas of law that interested me and discovered the work that would fulfill me after earning my law degree in May 2020.
In July 2022, I found the service-oriented career opportunity I had been searching for. The Housing Rights Project at the school’s Center for Legal and Social Justice needed a staff attorney to represent clients in individual housing matters, teach in the legal clinic seminar and supervise student attorneys in their work with the housing hotline.
As part of the school’s Consumer Protection Clinic, the Housing Rights Project provides legal representation, advice and education for San Antonio-area tenants in collaboration with the City of San Antonio, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and the San Antonio Legal Services Association. The Housing Rights Project receives generous support from the City of San Antonio.
Evictions continue to be an enormous challenge to local residents. In Bexar County, landlords filed 17,900 eviction cases against tenants in 2022, a significantly higher number than before the pandemic.
On an average weekday in 2022, landlords filed 69 eviction cases in Bexar County. In most cases that go to trial, the landlord prevails, and tenants are unrepresented. The effects of evictions extend beyond a day in court. Studies also show the toll evictions take on renters’ health and well-being.
The program is truly one of a kind and one where I knew I could make a difference, not only with tenants but with students. During my 14 months as the staff attorney, I have witnessed students grow from insecure public speakers who were trepidatious about making phone calls to clients or interacting with opposing counsel to confident and informed advocates for their clients. I consider watching students evolve a victory.
I treat the Consumer Protection Clinic students as colleagues rather than subordinates because I want them to succeed in and out of the courtroom. The students play a crucial part in client representation. I, along with the visiting assistant clinical professor of law Greg Zlotnick and our entire team, strive for the students to be prepared not only for court but also for the possible challenges these future attorneys may face with opposing counsel or client management. Students draft their own motions, answers and plans of action for their clients.
Our team also creates outreach events to educate the community on their housing rights. This is also an aspect of the work that is so appealing — my work is not limited just to the office or to the courtroom. The most rewarding group of individuals I’ve worked with are folks with disabilities and seniors. Seniors in particular do not have many options in housing if they are unmarried and do not have children. They are a vulnerable group of people deserving of more resources and compassion.
In the last two years, students Larissa Jackson and Katherine Chevalier have gone above and beyond in their outreach efforts. In October, they secured a tabling spot for the Housing Rights Project at a Halloween event in costume at St. P.J.’s Children’s Home. Our team dressed as characters from the Pixar movie Up. We not only built team spirit but showcased how attorneys can tap into their creativity and enthusiasm. We won the costume contest, but the real win was sharing knowledge with our community.
Despite the alarming eviction statistics, the St. Mary’s Law team does what it can to educate the public and provide help. I feel very fortunate to work with a compassionate group of individuals who strive for excellence, empathy and service. Our office is full of collaboration and good humor along the way. I never expected to feel this fulfilled as an attorney. I am the luckiest.
