Welcome to the Eviction Defense practice area!

Join this site if you are a volunteer attorney, legal services staff advocate, law student or faculty member advising low-income and disadvantaged clients in the area of housing law. There are resources here to help you!

Eviction Defense and Landlord/Tenant Law

2016 JDC Eviction Defense Manual now available! Click on the Library to check it out.

Every week, about 50 individuals and families are evicted in San Francisco. Because of the tight housing market and high rents, many of them will be homeless if they are evicted. With legal representation, some of them will be able to keep their housing. Others need help negotiating a settlement. JDC runs an eviction defense project in San Francisco, as do many other legal services providers. To learn more about all of these organizations in the Bay Area, please click here.

Taking a pro bono landlord/tenant case is an opportunity to prevent homelessness in San Francisco. It is also a great way to get civil litigation experience. An eviction action is a microcosm of general civil actions, and a good opportunity to gain motion and discovery practice and settlement and trial experience.

Short on Time?

Volunteer with JDC's Courthouse Landlord/Tenant Project, a limited scope representation project providing free legal services to pro per litigants facing unlawful detainer settlement conferences. For more information contact JDC at probono@sfbar.org.

Practice Tip: Litigation

The Western Center on Law and Poverty has a great write up on drafting a successful declaration. Follow the link to see it: http://www.housingadvocates.org/wc/2/pth/ptl-2012-08.html.