CBA Record October 2018

Special Report By Julie Pautsch

PRO BONOWEEK 2018– CELEBRATING THE POWER OF PRO BONO

The Power of a Level Playing Field Representing Clients with Eviction and Housing Issues

E viction court is crowded. Loud. Chaotic. Tenants, almost all unrep- resented, are seated in the gallery on long wooden benches, occasionally accom- panied by their young children or a family member. The other constant—landlords’ attorneys. Separated from tenants by a

three-foot high metal gate, they’re gathered at the large tables in the front of the court- room. They talk amongst themselves, and all seem to know each other, the bailiff, the clerk, and the judge. When court starts, everyone stands up and the judge speaks. Sometimes the

judge mentions the tenant’s right to a jury demand or a one-week continuance to look for an attorney. Sometimes the judge doesn’t. The judge almost always suggests the tenant and the landlord try to “work something out.” Everyone sits and the clerk starts calling

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