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later . On the day of their hearing , they were able to enter into a Consent Agreement that kept them in their rental home . They also avoided a money judgment that would have impacted their credit and kept them from renting or purchasing a permanent home .
Meeting with a volunteer attorney can prevent landlords engaging in illegal activity from escaping with impunity . In November 2017 , a tenant came to the HCAC looking for help after her landlord initiated eviction proceedings against her . The tenant was confused because she gave her landlord her checking account number for automatic rent withdrawal , and money left her account , but the landlord still filed a dispossessory claim . A discussion with an HCAC intern and attorney , followed by a thorough review of bank statements the tenant brought with her , showed that the landlord had actually stolen money well in excess of the rent owed . HCAC volunteers assisted her with filing a counterclaim for the amount stolen and , several weeks later , the tenant was awarded a $ 7,500.00 judgment .
These families were not the only ones to benefit from the HCAC ’ s rebirth . In the first three months after the HCAC reopened , it helped 119 individuals and their families navigate the dispossessory process . Of those individuals , approximately 43 percent were able to meet with their landlords and reach a mutually beneficial consent agreement , and 31 percent won in court or had the landlord voluntarily dismiss the case . In those three months , the HCAC helped those 119 families avoid $ 118,405.65 in money judgments .
Numbers aside , the HCAC hopes to inspire law students to engage in pro bono and public interest legal work once they become attorneys , and to help new attorneys discover the benefits of pro bono work . Student interns gain valuable client interviewing skills , learn property and landlord-tenant law , and see civil procedure in action by assisting the HCAC with post-visit case tracking and data collection . Volunteer attorneys get another opportunity to serve their community , sharpen their client interview skills , and learn more about the law .
Tenants like Mary Christopher should not risk losing their homes simply because the dispossessory process is confusing and intimidating . The HCAC and its attorney and law student volunteers help to ensure that guidance is available when it is needed most . ▪
Cole Thaler is the director of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation ’ s Safe & Stable Homes Project .
Andrew Thompson is an Atlanta attorney and the part-time coordinator of the Housing Court Assistance Project .
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The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association THE ATLANTA LAWYER 17