The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented eviction risk for U.S. renters. Nationwide, more than 15M people are at risk of eviction, with more than 200,000 at risk in Colorado alone. The Community Economic Defense Project (previously known as the Covid-19 Eviction Defense Project) was formed in April 2020. Our mission is to Keep Coloradans Housed. We do this by helping to prevent mass evictions and homelessness. We quickly built a law firm (CED Law), economists, data analysts, policy-experts, and organizers to respond to this crisis.

With guidance from our clients—a majority of whom identify as people of color—and community partners, we launched a “continuum care” approach to eviction prevention that centers the legal and financial needs of housing-insecure families and uses a variety of tools to keep them housed. This position is housed within the law firm, CED Law, which represents tenants in housing and eviction disputes, with support from the broader collective of CEDP, including the Colorado Stability Fund.

As the COVID-19 crisis moves from pandemic to endemic, the Community Economic Defense Project will remain. Our continuum of care offers stability in the face of growing housing instability driven by inflation and ongoing economic challenges. Our continuum of care includes:

• Rental Assistance: For the vast majority of our clients, the Colorado Stability Fund provides rental assistance and we offer negotiation services. We use public funds to pay back and future rent, reinstate leases, and avert evictions through rental debt settlements alone.
• Legal Services: For complicated cases with additional legal issues or difficult landlords, the law firm CED Law offers eviction defense services, paired with rental assistance dollars, to encourage settlement or stabilize tenancies and represent tenants in court when negotiation does not work.
• Rehousing and Case Management: Where legal services do not work, CEDP provides rehousing support services through ERA funding and agency referrals.
• Advocacy: More broadly, CEDP goes case to cause. We work with our clients to tell their stories and amplify their voices into policy change. In the 2020-2021 legislative session, for example, we drafted and, in coalition with other stakeholders and community organizations, passed the renters’ rights legislation that caps late fees, penalizes abusive landlords, and gives Coloradans access to the warranty of habitability without paying a bond.

More about the Head of CED Law

We are seeking a creative attorney to lead our law firm by managing its day-to-day operations in collaboration with our attorney team leads as well as building and launching new initiatives informed by our clients’ needs. In the years ahead, we anticipate broader work on debt defense, consumer protection, and related issues.

The Head of CED Law will:

• Develop a long-term vision for CED Law’s role in the community and then make that vision real
• Facilitate sustainable growth of CED Law through fundraising, the retention and expansion of services contracts, and ongoing hiring and team development
• Establish and manage CED Law’s affirmative case strategy
• Oversee development and execution of appellate case strategy in coordination with appellate attorney
• Manage the existing team of 12 attorneys and 3 paralegals working on eviction defense and the incoming team of attorneys and paralegals working on foreclosure defense
• Direct skills development and training programs for attorneys and paralegals
• Supervise and provide as-needed coverage for attorney team leads
• Optimize case intake and service levels to expand client service footprint
• Set firm goals, priorities, and growth trajectories
• Establish and implement processes to meet goals and continue to grow
• Collaborate with the executive team to set organizational goals and processes
• Determine the appropriate range and division of services provided based on team capacity and contract-related goals
• Develop and maintain relationships and partnerships with external groups in the public interest and housing justice world