At the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, we run a free weekly Eviction Clinic to help pro se (unrepresented) tenants fill out and file an Answer and Discovery, and prepare for their day in court. Filing the Answer and Discovery is very important because it preserves (saves) the tenant’s rights and enables the tenant to fight the eviction. Furthermore, filing Answer and Discovery pushes the court date back two weeks, which helps the tenant better prepare for her or his day in court.
Our Clinic has three goals:
- Explain how an eviction works.
- Help tenants complete their paperwork.
- Help tenants learn how to defend themselves in court
Our Eviction Clinic achieves these goals through an informative PowerPoint, interactive worksheets, and one-on-one negotiation preparation. In this way, we hope to teach skills so tenants achieve better results in court and in negotiation with opposing parties.
If you are a tenant who has received a Summons & Complaint (a letter telling you to go to court), please call us at 617-495-4408 and ask about the Eviction Clinic!