Law student hopes to make a difference through fair housing advocacy
Throughout Ashley Ward’s life, she was exposed to the legal system and the expensive costs of legal representation. From watching her single parent mother advocate for additional child support for her and her sister in court, to seeing—firsthand—the intricacies of the immigration legal system from her stepfather who immigrated from Mexico, Ward has had a front row seat observing the barriers to effective legal representation. But instead of discouraging her, these experiences inspired her. “I became inspired to change the legal system and policies, educating people about their rights, and providing them with affordable legal representation to protect those rights,” says Ward. And this led her to the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she has been able to put her dreams into action.
Ashley Ward
Ward, a third-year law student, hails from nearby Hebron, KY. She attended the University of Louisville for her undergraduate degree, but the pull of being close to family and the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights brought her to the College of Law. In addition to the Institute, she says, she appreciated the variety of international law courses offered by the college.
One of the strengths of the College of Law is it opportunities for experiential learning. The externship and internship program helps students gain real-world experience as well as develop important practical skills as they explore career options. Ward has taken advantage of this program by exploring several opportunities throughout the last three years. Last spring, for example, she was awarded a fellowship from the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation to work as a legal intern for the Ohio Justice and Policy Center (OJPC), a nonprofit law firm that provides services to people in all communities who lack the support to navigate the complexities of the legal system.
I became inspired to change the legal system and policies, educating people about their rights, and providing them with affordable legal representation to protect those rights.
Ashley Ward, third-year law student
Ashley Ward at the Ohio Supreme Court
Ward dove headfirst into her assignment. Through her OJPC externship, she worked with the Governor’s Expedited Pardon Project, assisting five clients with applications and two with hearing preparations; provided legal support for a client applying to have their record sealed for Ohio convictions and non-convictions; developed a memo on best practice for certificates of qualifications for housing for an Ohio Representative; developed reports for analyzing Ohio and federal housing barriers to people with criminal records, expanding safe harbor expungement, abolishing capital punishment, and preventing residency restrictions against “violent offenders”; and requested records from police departments, clerk offices and coroner offices. She also had opportunity to observe oral arguments at the Supreme Court of Ohio and speak with Justice Michael Donnelly and Judge Janaya Trotter Bratton of the Hamilton County Municipal Court.
“[At OJPC] I learned a lot about how the criminal legal system still needs to become just. The system disfavors defendants and people with criminal records, and the legal system cannot be just until they at least have the same opportunities as the prosecution to present their case”, says Ward.
Ward’s summer experience solidified her goal to become a lawyer. “I want to become a lawyer to make the criminal legal system more just,” she says. And researching the housing collateral consequences for people with criminal records inspired her to apply for a fellowship to improve Ohio housing law and increase rights for Ohioans with criminal records. This led to her next career opportunity as she is the recipient of the Ohio Access to Justice Fellowship, working with OJPC post-graduation on a project to help Ohioans with criminal records establish their housing rights and provide them with a fair chance of rehabilitation with stable housing.
I want to humanize people with criminal records.
Ashley Ward, third-year law student
Taking a three-pronged approach—public education, policy change and litigation—Ward’s project will help ensure that Ohioans with criminal records have access to adequate, affordable housing. She will educate Ohioans with criminal records about the municipal, state, and federal housing laws that impact them, while informing the public of the collateral consequences.
“I want to humanize people with criminal records. In collaboration with directly impacted people and other organizations, I want to work toward a fair housing ordinance or statute to provide housing relief,” says Ward. She also will directly represent individuals with criminal records to advocate for and establish their housing rights in court.
“This type of work is important,” says Ward. “When people released from incarceration are unstably housed, homeless, or live in a high-crime neighborhood, they are more likely to recidivate. Although public housing is an affordable option, it excludes various people with criminal records. People with criminal records need to know their rights to increase their access to affordable housing.”
Without question, Ward’s experiences are helping her hone lawyering skills so that she can realize her dream: providing free or affordable legal representation to those in underprivileged communities to protect their rights, as well as practicing human rights law.
“I am very thankful for my experience at UC Law and the fellowship opportunities available to me to help change policy. I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my professional life!”
Want to learn how your investment in fellowships, scholarships and programs at the College of Law makes a real impact in students’ lives? Contact Carolyn Adam at carolyn.adam@foundation.uc.edu.
About the University of Cincinnati College of Law
Founded in 1833, the University of Cincinnati College of Law has the distinction of being the first law school west of the Alleghenies. From humble beginnings 175 years ago in a room above Timothy Walker’s law offices to its new home today, Cincinnati Law has been on the leading edge of legal education. Thousands of lawyers have graduated from the law school, and about one-third practice in the Greater Cincinnati community, working in all areas of the law. For more information about the College of Law, visit www.law.uc.edu.
Lead photo: istockphoto.com; Ashley Ward photos: provided
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