Eviction cases are filed every week adn proceed to court hearings within two weeks. Thus, studetns in the EDC will appear in court and will do so several times during their time in the clinic. This provides a unique opportunity to practice, develop, and improve your litigation skills as well as deepen your understanding about housing policies.

The main responsibilities of EDC students are to:

• Take the lead on direct client representation
• Provide legal representation for people facing eviction in court
• File court papers on clients' behalf such as answers and motions
• Educate community and community advocates about various aspects of rental housing law
• Potentially advocate and testify before governmental bodies

EDC students engage in traditional litigation practice, using skills such as fact investigation, legal research, analysis, drafting, negotiation, counseling, and trial work.

Students also learn to participate in and consider less traditional lawyering activities, such as public speaking, drafting education materials, and participating in local campaigns for social and economic justice.

EDC students participate in a weekly seminar that covers:

• General litigation skills
• Substantive landlord/tenant law
• Simulations and exercises
• Theories of community lawyering and culturally competent lawyering
• The role of lawyers in various movements for social and economic justice

Students also conduct structured "case rounds,"  in which they brief each other about their client work and brainstorm new approaches to client issues and projects.  

If you need legal help:

1. First call the Tenant Resource Center (TRC) at 608-257-0006 to schedule an intake appointment on the phone.
• You should call the TRC first because they have rental assistance and other resources that can help with your housing needs.
2. Have the following with you when you call:
• Your court case number, which can be found via the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access/CCAP.
• Relevant documents and papers, e.g. letters from your landlord, lease/rental agreement, court papers, notices.
3. After you talk to the TRC, they will refer your case to non profit law firms or our clinic to provide free legal help if you need it.
• This program is very new, so as it gets started, not all tenants may receive legal representation, but you will at least get legal information (housing counseling) or legal advice. 
• The EDC students will research and discuss your eviction case with their supervising attorney to decide if and how we can help.

The EDC does not charge for our legal services.

The EDC can help you if:

1. You have an EVICTION case in court with a court hearing (return date or trial date) in the future and you have a court case number and hearing date. 
   • We may not be able to take a case that is in a few hours, we need at least a few days’ notice and you must have already called the Tenant Resource Center.
   • Find your case number here: Wisconsin Circuit Court Access/CCAP.
2. You have an EVICTION case on your record and you want to know if you can get that case off CCAP.  
   • Contact the Tenant Resource Center first - they will refer your case to us.
   • If they can’t help, contact LIFT Dane and Legal Action of Wisconsin (855-947-2529) - we can only help if they can’t help you. This is VERY limited. We need you to try with other agencies first before you call us.

We expect our clients to:

• Be an equal partner in your case; you must help us with your case.
• Keep us up to date about changes in:
• address;
• telephone number; or
• other contact information (email, etc.).
• Return our calls as you can
• Give us all papers about your eviction case (via text, mail, email, fax)