Abstract

This Article, by Professor Daniel Shaffzin from the University of Memphis School of Law, examines the rise and devastating effects of the nationwide vacant and abandoned property epidemic, the statutory authority available in Tennessee to pursue recourse against the owners of such property, and the broader blight-fighting strategy being employed by the City, which precipitated the launch of the University of Memphis Law School Neighborhood Preservation Clinic. Shaffzin next examines the Clinic’s multi-layered design and articulates the benefits that the Clinic has conferred upon its students, the Law School, and the City of Memphis. Shaffzin concludes that the Neighborhood Preservation Clinic offers a government representation model for law school clinics that stays true to traditional clinical pedagogy while honoring clinical legal education’s two-pillared historical mission to effectively prepare students for practice and to work in advancement of social justice and public interest outcomes.

Keywords

abandoned property epidemic, Memphis, Tennessee, vacant property, blight, law school clinic, social justice, public interest