Biography
Merf Ehman is a nationally recognized leader in civil rights advocacy, housing justice, and systemic reform whose teaching and scholarship center on racial equity, systemic approaches, and the legal structures that shape poverty in the United States. Their teaching is grounded in decades of movement‑aligned practice, a deep commitment to community accountability and racial justice, and a belief that lawyers have a critical role to play in dismantling structures of inequality and building pathways toward justice. They teach legal writing and poverty law.
Before joining the faculty at Seattle University School of Law, Professor Ehman served as the Executive Director of Columbia Legal Services (CLS), a statewide civil legal aid organization dedicated to advancing social, economic, and racial equity for people living in poverty. During nearly two decades at CLS, Professor Ehman litigated major civil rights, fair housing, disability rights, and prison reform cases, including class actions that reshaped housing authority practices, expanded due process protections, and fought for medical care for thousands of incarcerated people. Their policy work contributed to landmark changes such as Seattle's Fair Chance Housing Ordinance, Jobs Assistance Ordinance, Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance, First in Time Ordinance, HUD guidance on the use of criminal records in housing, and statewide reforms to occupational licensing. Merf also managed the Housing Justice Project for nine years where they represented thousands of tenants in eviction show cause hearings, trials, and revision proceedings.
Their academic interests include housing law and policy, disparate impact analysis, the intersection of housing and the criminal legal system, and community‑centered civil rights lawyering. They have written about tenant screening, disparate impact, race equity in legal services, and the intersection of criminal records and housing access. They are a frequent speaker and trainer, presenting nationally on topics including race equity toolkits, inclusive decision‑making, criminal records reform, and the evolving role of legal aid in addressing systemic racism.
Professor Ehman earned their JD from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, where they received multiple awards for public interest leadership and a Certificate in Affordable Housing and Community Development. They hold a BA in Philosophy with a concentration in Women's Studies from Nazareth University.