The EDC is thrilled to announce its new Trial Project. This vital service, which began December 2012, will fill a significant deficiency in San Francisco’s eviction defense model, meeting the needs of tenants at this most vulnerable stage in the eviction process. Previously, tenants who did not settle their cases at the court mandated settlement conference had extremely limited access to trial attorneys and the majority were unrepresented. With this new project, we will review all unsettled cases, identify needed legal and factual research, attempt to place cases for referral when possible, and represent tenants at trial. Our attorneys know the cases and the tenants, we feel comfortable negotiating on the eve of trial, and we have experience working with tenants in crisis. This means that tenants will now have strong allies at one of the most important phases in a case and, as a byproduct, negotiation at court mandated settlement conferences can be more even-handed.2013_annual_report
