When Eviction Court Moved To Zoom, This Attorney Kept Fighting For Renters’ Rights

During the pandemic, lawyer Jon-Ross Treviño has been on the frontlines of Houston’s eviction crisis, trying to to keep residents from going homeless.

By Daisy EspinozaJanuary 6, 2021 2:17 pm, ,

From NextGen Radio:

Houston lawyer Jon- Ross Treviño, 32, spends his days jumping from Zoom call to phone call with people who are on the brink of losing their homes. He’s struggling to find new ways to build trust with his clients while social distancing.

“I feel for the person because of the situation they’re in,” Treviño says.

Before the pandemic, he could look his clients in the eye and listen to their concerns, which he would later reinterpret at court. But now it’s challenging to transmit that same message to a judge who’s tuning in virtually.

“It’s a lot harder. You don’t have those hand gestures,” Treviño says. “I’m in an apartment complex where I don’t want to be yelling and have other people hearing me.”

As an attorney, Treviño feels that his public service is at jeopardy since he’s unable to connect with his clients or the court as he used to before the closure.

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