Rasheedah Phillips
Professional Experience
Rasheedah Phillips is currently serving as Managing Attorney for Housing Policy in the Housing Unit. Ms. Phillips is an expert in subsidized housing law and has successfully advocated for changes in housing policy affecting the entire City of Philadelphia and beyond.
Ms. Phillips first came to CLS as a legal intern in the Family Advocacy Unit. As an intern, she assisted in creating a community education workshop that educated teenage parents and their advocates on their legal rights in the areas of custody, child support, education, public benefits and other rights. She conducted the workshops for various teen parenting programs and advocacy organizations throughout the city. In 2008 she became a Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Martin Luther King, Jr. Fellow in the Community Economic Development Unit, providing legal advice, representation, and resources to low-income child care businesses and non-profit, community organizations. After joining the CLS Housing Unit, Ms. Phillips took on a leadership role as Managing Attorney, after which she joined the Shriver Center on Poverty Law as Senior Advocate Resources and Training Attorney. In 2020 she returned to CLS as Managing Attorney for Housing Policy.
Ms. Phillips has been active in leading various advocacy campaigns that have resulted in legislative changes, including laws that made it easier for family child-care providers to obtain zoning. She spearheaded the Philly Eviction Prevention Project pilot program created in 2017.
Professional Associations
Northeastern University School of Law Givelber Distinguished Public Interest Lecturer (Fall 2020)
Next City Vanguard Fellow (2019)
Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity (2018)
Shriver Racial Justice Fellow (2016)
Philadelphia Bar Association (2008-Present)
Co-Chair, Civil Gideon Task Force Housing Subcommittee (2015-2019)
Young Lawyer’s Division Mentoring Program Mentor (2009-2010)
Co-Chair of the Planning Committee for the annual Public Interest Law Day (2013-2018)
Barristers Association of Philadelphia (2008-Present)
Mayor’s Eviction Prevention Task Force and Co-Chair of Housing Security Working Group (2015-Present)
Op-Eds and Articles
State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler and Phillips, Rasheedah. “Pennsylvania’s evictions and foreclosure moratorium shouldn’t end while the coronavirus rages.” Phila. Inquirer, July 14, 2020.
Phillips, Rasheedah. “Addressing Race and Gender Inequities at the Root of Housing Injustice.” Law and Economic Policy Blog, January 16, 2020.
Collins, Jenna and Phillips, Rasheedah. “We have a tool to fix Philly’s eviction crisis.” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 8, 2019.
Lord, Phil and Phillips, Rasheedah. “Mass evictions are growing more common in Philly. Here’s how to fight them.” Plan Philly Eyes on the Street, September 10, 2018.
Phillips, Rasheedah. “New ‘squatters’ bill could put domestic violence victims at risk of homelessness.” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 22, 2018.
Journal Publications
“Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture – An Eternal Return: Centering Community, Creativity, and Temporality in Public Interest Lawyering,” Villanova Law Review, 62 Vill. L. Rev. 829 (2017).
“Addressing Barriers to Housing for Women Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault,” Temple Political & Civil Rights Law Review, Westlaw at 24 Temp. Pol. & Civ. Rts. L. Rev. 323 (2015).
Education
Ms. Phillips earned her J.D. from the Temple University Beasley School of Law in 2008. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Temple University in 2005, with an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice.
Awards
Outstanding Young Attorney Award, Barristers Association of Philadelphia (2019)
Equal Justice Award, Community Legal Services (2018)
Black Law Student Association Haddon, McClellan, and Richardson Alumni Award, Temple University Law School (2018)
Project Housing Justice Award, National Housing Law (2017)
Education Award, Need in Deed Ambassador (2017)
40 under 40 Rising Star award, City & State PA (2017)
Next Generation of Women Leaders: Rising Stars presented by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Philadelphia City Council (2013)
