Left Photo: Nina DePalma, Esq. / Right Photo: Margo Katz Rosenberg, Esq.
Following up on last month’s official start of the New Jersey Housing Justice Corps fellowship program, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ) is excited to shine a spotlight on two familiar faces who are participating in the fellowship program: Nina DePalma, Esq. and Margo Katz Rosenberg, Esq.
Nina and Margo are no strangers to VLJ, legal services, or housing justice work, as they currently serve as staff attorneys in VLJ’s Tenancy Program. Nina received her bachelor’s degree from Moravian College and her law degree from Rutgers Law School, where she was a member of the Rutgers Journal of Law and Public Policy, and received the Sera Ramcharitar Memorial Prize for excellence in work on behalf of the underprivileged, particularly women, children, and families. Nina’s passion for keeping families housed at home was well alive in law school, where she founded the Newark Housing Rights Coalition, a program that matches law students with eviction defense volunteer opportunities in Newark.
Rounding out the powerhouse duo, Margo also brings a wealth of experience that will serve the New Jersey Housing Justice Corps well. Prior to joining VLJ, Margo was an associate at Sills Cummis Epstein & Gross P.C., where she practiced commercial real estate law, and Margo routinely volunteered with VLJ. Margo received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania (magna cum laude) with a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies, and she received her law degree from Fordham University School of Law, where she was a member of the Urban Law Journal and received the Public Interest Resource Center’s Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award. While in law school, Margo interned for the Hon. Morris Stern, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, District of New Jersey.
Not only do Nina and Margo bring experience in housing along with a firsthand understanding of the power of pro bono, they also have powerful, unique perspectives:
Nina DePalma
“In my work on the frontlines of eviction defense, it's staggering to see how housing insecurity impacts the overall stability of NJ people and their families; the effects of housing troubles are reverberated through everything you do. Your ability to maintain employment, your children's ability to attend school and focus, your health, both physical and emotional, access to nutritious food, healthcare services, community relationships all suffer when your housing circumstances are unstable. I strongly believe that every single person deserves and is entitled to a safe and stable place to live, which research shows us translates to better outcomes overall; in education, in healthcare, in mental health services, in community relationships. That's the world I want to live in, and my work in many small ways helps to getting us closer to achieving that.
This fellowship will allow me to continue the important work I've been doing with VLJ, providing tenants with much needed legal advice and access to legal services, including full representation in eviction matters in Court. The ability to connect with the other 10 fellows, who are based out of other organizations like CHLP, Make the Road NJ, Seton Hall CSJ means that we can compare experiences and think through a lot of the issues we see collaboratively, and the input each fellow has will be extremely useful as we navigate the complexities of the NJ tenancy world together and brainstorm how to effect greater change. I am so thankful that the NJ Legislature recognizes the importance of funding programs like this fellowship, to ensure ‘liberty and prosperity’ for all New Jerseyans, regardless of income.”
Margo Katz Rosenberg
“I started out as a volunteer attorney for Volunteer Lawyers for Justice and I found the work so rewarding. When a tenancy staff attorney position opened up, I knew it was meant to be. It is such an honor to be a part of the most amazing tenancy team here at VLJ, working together to help our clients as best we can.
I am so excited to now have this opportunity to join forces with the Housing Justice Corps, where together we can work across many different organizations and unite as a team to defend our clients' rights and the rights of many tenants in the state of New Jersey.
The help we give to tenants in need has such a huge impact on their lives, and we are so lucky to be able to connect with them and provide them with assistance.”
About the New Jersey Housing Justice Corps Fellowship Program
The New Jersey Housing Justice Corps was developed through a collaboration between Seton Hall Law School and Rutgers Law School with funding provided by the State of New Jersey.
The New Jersey Housing Justice Corps is comprised of dedicated professionals and community partners committed to combating housing instability and the lack of safe, quality, and affordable housing in New Jersey. The fellows will “expand the availability of legal services to tenants with low and moderate incomes through their work, which will include building collaborative partnerships with community organizations; engaging in community education and outreach; assisting tenants in organizing and engaging in efforts to improve their housing; and challenging structural and systemic issues that form barriers to housing stability through impact litigation and policy and advocacy work.”
The new cohort consists of 11 fellows who are spending the next year working on behalf of tenants in New Jersey. The fellows will call the following community organizations “home” for the duration of their fellowship: Community Health Law Project, Fair Share Housing Center, Make the Road New Jersey, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, Volunteer UP Legal Clinic, The Waterfront Project, Seton Hall Law School, and Rutgers Law School.
VLJ is proud to be a part of the New Jersey Housing Justice Corps, and we look forward to the great work and advocacy Nina, Margo, and the rest of the fellows will undertake.