Today Brook Hill begins an Equal Justice Works fellowship with the WLC—effectively his fourth promotion in less than three years. We think he’s phenomenal, and are thrilled that he’s starting his career as a lawyer with us.

As a WLC Fair Housing intern, paralegal, and advocate, Brook has already focused needed attention on the housing affordability crisis in DC and how it intensifies patterns of racial segregation. And somehow he’s also calmly juggled just a few other things at the same time… like welcoming a second daughter into his family, writing award-winning papers, and graduating from Georgetown University Law Center.

During his two-year EJW fellowship, Brook will represent tenants and tenant associations to preserve affordable housing in DC and ensure landlords follow fair housing, relocation, and landlord/tenant laws. This effort is critical because much of DC’s affordable housing relies on time-limited government subsidies—subsidies that are rapidly expiring. When these subsidies expire, landlords may transition their properties to higher market rates that current residents usually can’t afford. This pushes primarily African-American residents, often women with children or the elderly, out of transitional neighborhoods and into hyper-segregated areas of the District. Or, sometimes, they are left without a home at all.

A window exists right now in DC to preserve affordable and fair housing and pursue landlords who illegally discriminate or use methods like ignoring maintenance needs to constructively evict residents. Brookland Manor is one example of how the WLC is pushing back. Contact Brook if you are interested in working with him and WLC’s Fair Housing team on these matters.

Brook’s EJW fellowship is made possible by the generosity of Crowell & Moring, who also sponsored our outgoing EJW fellow, Christine Tschiderer. Thank you Crowell!!