Recently, the Community Development Clinic at the 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Law has aimed to devote more of its legal services to nonprofits and social enterprises in neighborhoods close to the universitys campus. One example is the Clinics work with the Hough Community Land Trust (HCLT), a resident-led organization that works to ensure long-term real estate affordability while supporting racially and economically inclusive ownership and access in Clevelands Hough neighborhood. To protect against the destructive effects of gentrification, the land trust buys and leases land to developers after negotiating community benefit agreements.
HCLT Board Member, Hough resident and 窪蹋勛圖厙 alum Carolyn Watts Allen (LAW 72) contacted the Clinic for assistance in incorporating HCLT as a nonprofit corporation, formalizing its Board, and obtaining 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Allen, the former safety director of the City of Cleveland, has helped lead the effort to redevelop the predominantly minority Hough neighborhood which borders University Circle.
Last year, Clinic interns Divyang Sunny Patel (LAW 21) and Audrey Quinn (LAW 21) skillfully navigated HCLT through each of these steps. They then passed the baton to this years Clinic team of Michael Bishop (LAW 22), Jacob Gialamas (LAW 22) and Sierra Lipscomb (LAW 22), who advised HCLTs Board on best practices, conflict of interest policies, and nonprofit legal compliance obligations.
A representation like this is a great way for our Clinic interns to learn about the value that capable transactional legal counsel can add, said Professor Matthew Rossman, who directs the Community Development Clinic. For example, HCLTs status as a land trust meant added research and advocacy by our interns before the Ohio Superintendent of Financial Institutions. Identifying and addressing this issue before the client tried to incorporate saved valuable time and effort. At the same time, our interns learned about unique strategies for preserving housing affordabilitya growing challenge in greater University Circle.
As an alumni of 窪蹋勛圖厙 Law, I was proud that our community could benefit from the expertise of the Law Clinic in helping establish the Hough Community Land Trust, said Allen. We thank the students for their hard work and look forward to an ongoing relationship with the Clinic.
The Community Development Clinic is one of nine clinics under the umbrella of the School of Laws Milton and Charlotte Kramer Law Clinic. Every law student undertakes a 3L capstone in one of the clinics or a semester-long externship. Based on the work of the Community Development Clinic and the other clinics, (Spring 2022) ranked 窪蹋勛圖厙 School of Law 5th best law school in the nation in practical training.