Collective Tenant Action: Fellow Avery Shivers Shares Experience With Sharp Leadenhall Lawsuit

Avery Shivers spoke to us about how he supported tenants in asserting their rights to safe and habitable housing as an organizer Fellow in the Housing Justice Program. Hosted by Maryland Legal Aid, Avery advocates alongside low-income tenants to combat involuntary displacement, increase access to Maryland Legal Aid’s eviction defense attorneys, and support collective tenant action.

On August 12, 2025, Maryland Legal Aid filed a lawsuit against Sharp Leadenhall Apartments seeking redress for systemic substandard and dangerous conditions that violated residents’ rights under Maryland law. The following day, the Historic Sharp Leadenhall Tenant Council – the tenant association that represents the 192-unit affordable housing complex – organized a press conference that helped garner public and political support for these low-income renters.

How did the case against Sharp Leadenhall’s property management company come your way?

Our legal partnership with renters from Sharp Leadenhall Apartments began in 2024 when previous Equal Justice Works fellows, Caroline Tripp and Amanda Wisniewski, helped the property’s residents create a tenant council. With the creation of this union, renters at the property now had the infrastructure to negotiate with the landlord and assert their demands collectively. With Maryland Legal Aid as their counsel, the Historic Sharp Leadenhall Tenant Council had the ability to enforce their rights through legal action if necessary.

Caroline and I also provided technical support to the tenant council, planned Know Your Rights training in the community, and met with property management to address property-wide conditions issues. When the landlord did not change its practices, Historic Sharp Leadenhall Tenant Council decided that taking collective legal action was necessary. They began consulting with Caroline and me to learn more about their options.

What have these cases (both individual and the group lawsuit) taught you so far?

My first takeaway from this multi-plaintiff lawsuit is that the success of collective legal action relies on organized renters. It would have been nearly impossible to successfully bring this lawsuit without the engagement and determination of tenant leadership. From door-knocking efforts to one-on-one conversations with their neighbors, tenant leaders ignited their fellow residents with a belief that participating in this lawsuit would be a worthwhile endeavor in ways that our team was restricted from doing.

I have also learned that legal action is only one approach to advocate for renters. While legal action advances the rights of tenants, it does not make them leaders in this effort. In contrast, tenant leadership came to the fore when they organized the press conference. By creating a space to tell their story, apart from the courtroom, they enhanced renters’ engagement and belief in themselves as leaders. Tenants also invited local representatives in order to influence lawmakers’ perspectives on the need for greater enforcement action against negligent landlords. Not only did five publications cover the press conference, but several city council members have also connected with the Historic Sharp Leadenhall Tenant Council to address the issues they face.

How has working with four former Fellows (Caroline Tripp, Natali Collazos, DiNesha “Dee” Rucker, and Annie Toborg) influenced you?

These former Fellows have altered my perspective on the role that attorneys can and should play in any legal partnership. Before working with these fellows, I believed that attorneys primarily supported their clients through courtroom advocacy and individualized support. What Caroline, Natali, Dee, and Annie have demonstrated is a far more expansive model of legal advocacy, often referred to as Community Lawyering. Community Lawyering fosters systemic change through community-integrated problem solving, partnerships, and client empowerment. The Fellow alums that I work with greatly exemplify the framework’s openness to community-driven solutions. By playing an advisory role in the organization’s decision-making process, they ensure that tenant leaders feel empowered to solve problems on their own and only consult them when necessary. This collaborative approach to lawyering is unique to the former Fellows and it only makes me more excited to continue working with them on these transformative projects.

What are your next steps with this case?

Last month, the judge presiding over the case permitted the opening of an escrow account, asked all plaintiffs to pay $0into the account every month, and ordered that the owner and management company immediately abate all dangerous and life-threatening conditions at the property. This result in our first hearing has energized other residents at Sharp Leadenhall. The next court hearing is in December 2025. While our legal staff intends to continue monitoring repairs on the property, I will support the resident council in their efforts to educate their community about their options to enforce their legal rights.

What do you wish more tenants knew when it comes to asserting their rights?

When asserting your rights, there is strength in numbers. It is far easier for landlords, media, and political representatives to ignore the complaints of one tenant than it is to ignore the complaints of dozens. This collective approach to justicerelies on renters meaningfully engaging with those who live in their building. By building relationships with their neighbors – through offering a helping hand to bring in groceries, inviting them over for dinner, or something else –tenants can cultivate the community trust that is foundational to the success of any campaign against bad-faith landlords. As the adage goes, organized people beat organized money; and to be organized, we need to live up to the values of a strong community.

To learn more about the Housing Justice Program, click here. To learn more about Avery’s work, click here.