Mel Zahnd

Mel Zahnd is a Supervising Attorney in the Housing Law Unit. He represents low-income tenants in eviction and housing conditions cases before the D.C. Superior Court. He also litigates housing law claims before administrative bodies, such as the D.C. Housing Authority and the Office of Administrative Hearings.

Prior to joining Legal Aid DC in September 2018, Mel clerked for the Honorable Ronna Lee Beck and for the Honorable William M. Jackson of the D.C. Superior Court. He also worked as a fellow for the Jail and Prison Advocacy Project of Disability Rights D.C. at University Legal Services. As a fellow, Mel advocated on behalf of criminal-justice involved D.C. residents with significant and persistent mental illnesses.

Mel received his J.D. in 2016 from Georgetown University Law Center. While in law school, Mel worked as a student attorney in the Georgetown Criminal Justice Clinic. He also served as the Managing Editor of Articles for the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. Before law school, Mel was a fourth grade teacher in Phoenix, Arizona. Mel received his B.A., summa cum laude, from New York University.