Zafar Shah joined Maryland Legal Aid in December 2022 as the Assistant Advocacy Director for the Tenant Right to Counsel Project. He is an expert in multi-level advocacy for low-income renters. Currently, he plays a leading role in Maryland Legal Aid’s policy advocacy around renters’ rights and also oversees the implementation of the Access to Counsel in Eviction law across the state. Prior to joining Maryland Legal Aid, Zafar was a staff attorney at the Public Justice Center, where he focused on eviction defense and the rights of students experiencing homelessness. At Public Justice Center, he contributed to significant appellate victories for Maryland renters, worked with tenant organizers to design and implement a study on Baltimore City renters’ experiences in eviction process, helped to introduce day-of-trial representation in the Baltimore City district court, and co-founded and co-led the coalitions Baltimore Renters United and Renters United Maryland. Zafar’s work is inspired by his early experiences in community organizing and as an AmeriCorps VISTA, and by his professional years in deportation defense and migrant worker advocacy.