Registration Deadline – Monday, March 3, 2025 (The count for dinner must be submitted two weeks prior to the event-there is no wiggle room)

Program:  “Representing Tenants in Eviction – Movement Toward a Right to Counsel”

Presented by:  Sarah Andrew, Esq. and Megan M. Moore, Esq. of North Penn Legal Services

For the first time ever, Pennsylvania has a budget line-item meant to provide free legal representation to low-income renters facing an eviction or another housing-related issue.  The most recent state budget included $2.5 million for a statewide housing stability program that can include funding for access to counsel.  The funding will be divided among a network of legal aid programs and organizations, including North Penn legal Services in the Lehigh Valley.

NPLS has run several pilot projects to provide counsel to eligible lower-income tenants facing eviction on our local Magisterial District Courts.  In order to provide this service to more eligible tenants, NPLS is seeking the assistance of Pro Bono counsel.

This training will cover the basics of how Right to Counsel works, and the basics of tenant advocacy at MDJs and in the Court of Common Pleas.  Presenters will cover the eviction procedure from start to finish, common defenses and scenarios that arise in eviction court, and some information on the impact of access to counsel in the Lehigh Valley.