Greater Boston Legal Services
Boston, MA
Matthew Nickell has been awarded a fellowship to work with Greater Boston Legal Services in the organization’s Housing Unit, where he will help protect residents of low income neighborhoods and communities of color in northern Boston and in Chinatown from displacement at the hands of predatory speculator-investors by representing tenants facing eviction in court, negotiating with investors to curtail unreasonable rent increases, and coordinating with grassroots groups, community development corporations, and municipalities to expand access to decent quality affordable housing. While at HLS, Matthew was a member of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, serving as the Vice President of Practice Standards, Foreclose Task Force Co-Director, and Rule 3:03 Student Attorney in the Housing Practice. He was also heavily involved in Project No One Leaves, where he served as Co-President, the Tenant Advocacy Project, and the Harvard Journal on Legislation. During law school, Matthew also completed a summer internship with Public Advocates in San Francisco. Matt’s experience working on housing advocacy and social justice issues began in college, where he volunteered with a homelessness health and social services provider called the Suitcase Clinic.