MSU College Of Law announces Fair Housing Project

EAST LANSING, MI -- The Michigan State University College of Law Housing Law Clinic announces its Fair Housing Project, an educational and community outreach and advocacy effort designed to increase public knowledge of fair housing laws in Michigan and around the country. The project will consist of increased educational efforts led by Housing Law Clinic student clinicians during the 2011-12 academic year. Students will help coordinate educational programs for the public, research and write publications on fair housing, provide informational materials via the clinic's website, arrange guest lectures by experts in the field, and collaborate with fair housing centers across the state. Fair Housing Project initiatives will focus on Lansing, East Lansing, and the surrounding region of Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton Counties. According to Brian Gilmore, associate clinical professor of law and director of the Housing Law Clinic, the project is designed to address a lack of fair housing resources in the immediate area. "It is important to not let this issue be ignored," says Professor Gilmore. "Fair housing is an important legal concept that too often is neglected. We hope this project will increase public awareness in our local communities about the significant legal issues surrounding fair housing." The Housing Law Clinic at MSU College of Law is a consumer advocacy and research clinic that offers free legal advice and assistance to consumers with housing problems in the tri-county area. The clinic is one of several practice areas within the MSU College of Law Legal Clinic--a high-energy, small law firm environment in which students apply their knowledge of the substantive law to real-life situations under the guidance and supervision of licensed attorneys. The growing roster of Legal Clinic practice areas also includes Chance at Childhood, Civil Rights Law, First Amendment Law, Immigration Law, Plea and Sentencing, Small Business and Nonprofit Law, and Tax Law. Student clinicians provide an important service for the betterment of the community while discovering their niche in the field of law. Published: Mon, Sep 12, 2011