Taylor Rumble

The Project

Taylor Rumble, hosted by Charleston Legal Access, will establish Housing Court in two South Carolina counties. Her Fellowship will fill a void in the legal field market where tenants facing eviction are consistently without legal representation. Taylor will collaborate with organizations across South Carolina to support tenants facing evictions through the legal process.

According to the South Carolina Justice Gap Report, in 2019, 99.7% of defendants in eviction cases were unrepresented. With the majority of landlords attending court with legal representation of their own, tenants are left at a disadvantage without legal representation at a crucial time in their life.

Fellowship Plans

Taylor will collaborate with local organizations to defeat barriers to legal representation in eviction hearings. By establishing Housing Court in at least two additional South Carolina counties, she will support tenants facing housing instability through the legal process. With so few tenants having legal representation, expanding Housing Court will enable historically unrepresented tenants to be represented by a pro bono attorney and will prevent families from losing their homes. This fair-minded change will help make eviction hearings an impartial playing field for both sides.

Living in a city with the highest eviction rate in the U.S. inspired Taylor to advocate for equal access to legal representation for those who are facing eviction and are at risk of losing their home. During law school, Taylor worked at a legal clinic with people experiencing homelessness and learned through their experiences how incredibly difficult it is to obtain or maintain employment, care for one’s health, and maintain family relationships without first establishing safe housing. As a foster parent, Taylor continues to see the damaging effects of evictions on family life and stability. Taylor’s desire to create lasting changes in her community led her to pursue this fellowship role.

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