Troubled homeowners in Arizona may now get free legal representation

Student attorneys helping troubled homeowners

At Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, distressed homeowners may now seek help from student attorneys enrolled in the new program set up to help those facing wrongful or illegal foreclosure and mortgage fraud.

The program is called the Homeowner Advocacy Unit in the Civil Justice Clinic at the law school, supported by a 36 month grant from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office

“This is an excellent opportunity for the law school to provide a valuable public service while training up to 90 new attorneys over the next three years in the skills needed to become effective advocates on behalf of distressed homeowners,” said Douglas Sylvester, interim dean of the college.

How the Unit accepts new clients

The Homeowner Advocacy Unit accepts clients either referred by various community organizations that work with distressed homeowners, or who are referred by the Arizona Foreclosure Task Force.

“Arizona is one of the hardest hit states in matters of foreclosure and distressed mortgages,” said Mary Ellen Natale, director of the Homeowner Advocacy Unit. “We began accepting referrals from our community partners last week, and we already have a waiting list of potential clients. Our students are eager to learn about the challenging legal issues faced by these clients so that they can begin advocating on their behalf.”

Also offering public education

Not only will The Homeowner Advocacy Unit help distressed homeowners but will be offering public education and offering outreach efforts in the community to help homeowners better understand mortgage-related matters and their rights.

Realtors who get calls from past clients in Arizona that feel they are being illegally foreclosed upon or are a victim of one of the many mortgage scams, AZForeclosurePrevention.org is now open.