Emily A. Benfer

Emily A. Benfer serves as Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School with a cross-appointment in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management. She directs the Health Equity Policy & Advocacy Clinic and collaborates with Princeton University's Eviction Lab.

Her research centers on health justice, housing policy, and social determinants of health, specifically examining how racial inequity and poverty intersect with housing and eviction law. Benfer's work employs legal mapping and policy surveillance to analyze federal, state, and local eviction moratoria, emphasizing their public health implications.

Recent publications address eviction defense access (2025), 'good cause' eviction legislation (2025), and California rent control measures (2024). Her scholarship consistently connects housing instability to health outcomes, with subfields spanning racial equity, legal representation, and pandemic policy responses.

• American Public Health Association David P. Rall Award for Advocacy
• American Bar Association Presidential Commendation
• National Law Journal's Top 40 Lawyers Under 40 (Chicago)
• National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership Outstanding MLP Award
• Clinical Legal Education Association's Best Case/Project Award

Benfer advises the American Bar Association's Task Force on Eviction, Housing Stability, and Equity while mentoring through the American Bar Foundation. Her prior White House role on the American Rescue Plan Implementation Team focused on eviction prevention policy. She maintains active clinical partnerships with medical-legal programs nationwide.