Heather R. Abraham

Heather R. Abraham is an Associate Professor and Director of the Civil Rights & Housing Clinic at the University at Buffalo School of Law. She specializes in clinical legal education, fair housing, civil rights litigation, and administrative law. Her work focuses on desegregation, federal policy reform, and anti-racist lawyering.

Education:

• J.D. and Master of Public Policy (Housing/Community Development) – University of Minnesota
• LL.M. – Georgetown Law

Research Interests: Professor Abraham explores legal mechanisms to combat racial segregation, housing discrimination, and systemic injustice. She emphasizes experiential learning, urging students to confront the law’s role in perpetuating inequality. Her scholarship addresses fair housing policy, federal court accountability, and the intersection of race and law.

Awards:

• Robert P. Griffin Award (2018) for contributions to the judicial system.

Advising & Grants: She crowdfunded a public interest fellowship (2016) to combat rural homelessness and led the creation of a Community Outreach Court to address debtor’s prison cycles. Her clinics emphasize trauma-informed lawyering and anti-racist practice.

Labs/Teams: Directs the Civil Rights & Housing Clinic, combining tenant eviction defense with civil rights impact litigation in fair housing, employment discrimination, and voting rights.