- Assists housing authority and property management clients regarding the administrative process for reasonable accommodation requests and fair housing complaints.
- Closed several transactions for Tennessee public housing authorities utilizing complex financing including tax-exempt bonds, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Tennessee Housing and Development Agency HOME Funds and Tennessee Housing Trust Funds, National Housing Trust Funds, and payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) arrangements.
Emma B. Elliott
Nashville, TN Office
Emma Elliott is an associate in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice and represents development entities and housing authorities in complex federal and state litigation and administrative proceedings. She also assists with commercial real estate transactions and affordable housing development. Prior to joining R&C, Emma served as a law clerk in the Eastern District of Tennessee for The Honorable J. Ronnie Greer.
Selected Transactions
Cases
- Assisted in the successful defense of claims for disparate impact under the Fair Housing Act for public housing authorities and other housing provider clients.
- Successfully argued for breach of contract and specific performance on summary judgment for a private developer client.
- Successfully defended many fair housing complaints on the state and federal level.
- Provided representation in defense of multiple claims filed in federal and state court alleging violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act as it relates to website accessibility.
- Provided representation before an arbitrator on behalf of a private developer client, resulting in an award for damages incurred by a contractor.
Major Prior Work Experience
- Eastern District of Tennessee, Law Clerk for the Hon. J. Ronnie Greer
- Georgetown University Law Center, Research Assistant for Professor of Securities Regulation
- District of Columbia Housing Commission, Law Clerk
- United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Law Clerk
Professional Associations
- ABA Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law; Litigation Section
- Tennessee Bar Association
- Nashville Bar Association
Professional Certification
- Completion of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy Deposition Skills Course
Education
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D.
- Managing Editor, Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law
University of Memphis, M.P.A. Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management
Lipscomb University, B.A. in Law, Justice, and Society
Bar Admission
Tennessee Bar