Q & A with James Yang, Associate Attorney at O’Melveny & Myers
- How did you did you find your way to CLA SoCal?
I was looking for pro bono work and the Eviction Defense Clinic at CLA SoCal seemed like a good opportunity. Having recently moved to Los Angeles, the housing crisis here was something I wanted to understand better. It’s no secret that there are many, many homeless people in L.A. And it’s easy to become jaded when an issue seems this intractable; there’s no easy solution and it affects so many people. And of course, this problem is massively exacerbated by the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. So I joined the virtual Eviction Defense Clinic to learn, at the individual level, about the problems facing folks who are housing-insecure and to hopefully help them keep their residence.
- You’ve been very dedicated, starting out at the UD clinic and now taking on a case for representation with a staff attorney. What is it about volunteering at CLA SoCal that makes it a good fit for you? And what do you personally get out of your pro bono service?
At first, I wasn’t sure how I’d fit. I initially viewed the housing issue as something foreign: something outside of my realm of experience. And admittedly, a pessimistic part of me thought this issue was so unmanageable and recalcitrant that efforts made towards its alleviation were ultimately futile. But working at the Eviction Defense Clinic realigned my perspective quite a bit. During these clinic sessions, I get to have very frank conversations with people facing evictions, learn about their lives, and discuss possible solutions/options. Getting to know folks personally, even for one conversation, taught me that their problems are not outside my life. Indeed, talking to clients is not very different from talking to my mom, a friend, or a co-worker. Their predicaments are meaningful to all of us: not just because it affects society at large, but because their experiences manifest problems that could inflict any of us.
Many clients that come to the clinic had been financially secure, many had good jobs, and many had never faced eviction. Often, our clients encountered unforeseen obstacles: some lost their jobs due to the pandemic or downsizing, some lost family members on whom they relied financially, some just couldn’t keep up with inflation, etc. It’s easy to forget how hard life can be when you’re lucky enough to have stability. But often, instability is only a few crises away and life, in general, has no shortage of tragedies. Also, financial instability has a sort of gravitational pull—once you fall, it’s easier to fall further down and harder to get back up. With this realization, being part of a potential safety net that prevents people from falling too far became quite engaging.
- Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I encourage other attorneys to consider pro bono opportunities at CLA SoCal and organizations like it. There’s a lot to learn and this work has certainly broadened my perspective both personally and professionally. Taking cases and actively helping people facing evictions is certainly better than shrugging at the sheer magnitude of the issue and giving up because there is no panacea. Each case may seem small in the context of the larger housing crisis, but it can have big impact for individuals and families.
