Haley DiRenzo: Life & Lawyering in Action

In May 2017, when Haley DiRenzo, JD’17, gathered with her law school classmates to cross the stage and receive their diplomas, she was inspired by the potential in the room.

“I just remember graduation and all the events leading up to it, the different ceremonies. I remember feeling so joyful and so hopeful—to just feel like the world was wide open and being really excited about all the things that we were going to do.”

Although DiRenzo thoroughly enjoyed law school, it’s the hope and anticipation at graduation that captures her memory. A hope that she believes is now more important than ever to effectuate meaningful change.

Building Momentum

From being a Chancellor’s Scholar to participating in the Civil Rights Clinic,  which “instilled in me a deep interest and passion for righting the wrongs throughout powerful systems,” DiRenzo always knew that public service would drive her career. But what she didn’t know is where exactly that passion would lead. 

The answer, it turns out, is the Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP). Founded as the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project, CEDP has evolved beyond eviction defense to offer services and advocacy for economic hardship. Its legal arm, CED Law, is where DiRenzo now serves as Director of Tenant Legal Service, where her team offers legal guidance and representation to Colorado tenants facing eviction or housing instability.

But DiRenzo didn’t always have a team. For a while, she was one of few staff attorneys at the organization.

“I was one of the first attorneys at the organization, when it was very, very new. There was a lot of building.” And while it often felt like they were “building as we were flying,” DiRenzo also had the unique opportunity to help shape what the organization looks like and the type of services it provides.

“I’m proud of what it’s grown into, the leadership I’ve provided, the relationships I’ve built with my team, and the way that I’ve been able to advocate for them and elevate them.”

DiRenzo is also proud of the tangible effect that she and her team have had on the Denver community. In eviction defense, “you can see the impact on that person right away.” 

This is one of the reasons DiRenzo joined CED Law: “I wanted to be a bit closer. With legal services, you work with a lot more clients, sometimes working with them in a very limited scope. You can see the impact. Even with just explaining the process.”

Fueling Change

Public interest work is never easy. But, for DiRenzo, delivering legal services to vulnerable populations is key to living a life of action. It provides for tangible impact and creates a sense of purpose in what can, at times, be an uncertain world. 

A life of action, however, involves more than just caring for those in need. It also requires caring for those providing these crucial services. 

“We need to take care of the people in public interest roles. There’s a lot of burnout and health issues in the legal world, definitely in public interest roles, and we want people to be able to maintain their engagement.”

After several years in the profession, DiRenzo now sees the importance of finding balance in her life so that she can best serve others in her work: “Feeling more comfortable in this field and knowing more of what I’m doing, I feel like success is feeling happy and feeling content with my life as a whole. Obviously, work is a big part of that. But for me, personally, work could not be my entire identity.”

This philosophy informs DiRenzo’s advice for students who want to pursue a career in public interest work: “Try to hold onto something that makes you happy outside of legal work and outside of law school.” And for those wanting to support these students? “Talk about your hobbies with students, talk about some of the things you do outside the legal world.”

Because, for DiRenzo, engaging in public interest work—and being impactful—requires taking care of yourself, especially when experiencing uncertainty or anxiety about the world around you.

“I think that the antidote is to take some sort of action. Building your career around an issue that you’re passionate about is a way that you get to wake up every day and feel like you’re doing something. We obviously need a lot more people to continue to do that, we also need to better fund these roles and take care of the people who are in them.”

So between managing CED Law’s eviction defense team, overseeing contracts and grants, working with tenants who are facing eviction in county court, and providing legal services to low income tenants , DiRenzo makes sure to prioritize balance. Otherwise, she couldn’t have the same impact—or the desired longevity—in what has become a meaningful life of action.