Pursuing Justice Podcast Episode 19: The stakes are high for low-income tenants facing the threat of eviction. In this month’s episode of Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files, learn why pro bono representation is essential for renters facing outsized rent hikes, uninhabitable properties, and other challenges to their housing.
This program features Lorraine A. López, the chairperson of PLI's program "California Eviction Defense: Protecting Low-Income Tenants 2022"
This podcast provides a behind-the-scenes exploration of pro bono and public interest legal work. These heartening stories are told from both clients’ and lawyers’ perspectives to showcase intimate portraits of lawyers helping those with limited access to justice.
Please note: CLE is not offered for listening to this podcast, and the views and opinions expressed within represent those of the speakers and not necessarily those of PLI.
FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE
Lorraine López
Lorraine López is a Chicago native and has been working on tenants’ rights issues since 2005. As a former public housing resident, she has lived experience with housing instability and the challenges of participating in low-income housing programs.
Lorraine began her legal career in 2005 as an Equal Justice Works fellow at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (now LAF) where she provided legal representation, community legal education, and outreach programs for participants in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. In 2007, she moved to Los Angeles to work for Eviction Defense Network (EDN) where she was introduced to the specific legal challenges of low-income renters in Los Angeles before taking a position at Inner City Law Center in 2009. During her eight years at ICLC, Lorraine became the Supervising Attorney for the Los Angeles Shriver Housing Project team. Lorraine continued her career in legal supervision and management as a Supervising Attorney for the Coordinated Attorney Team at Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County (“NLSLA”), and as a Supervising Staff Attorney for the Homelessness Prevention Law Project at Public Counsel. Lorraine worked specifically on both organizations’ Shriver eviction defense programs and coordinating other housing preservation work, including Stay Housed LA and Right to Counsel.
